Source · Deaths in custody
PPO Fatal Incident Reports
6,395 incidents
5,660 published
1,165 recommendations
1,632 self-inflicted
3,362 natural causes
Deaths in custody investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. 26% of deaths are self-inflicted. Source: PPO.
Top recommendation themes
Learning & thematic publications
| Title | Type | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PPO response to JSC Inquiry into Children and Young Adults in the Secure Estate | Consultation response | Jun 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 21: Segregation | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Mar 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 22: Self-inflicted deaths in reception prisons | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Mar 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 20: Epilepsy | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Nov 2025 | |
| Annual Report 2024 to 2025 | Annual report | Jul 2025 | |
| Policy into Practice: Handling of prisoners’ property | Policy into Practice | Mar 2025 | |
| Policy into Practice: Handling of property complaints | Policy into Practice | Mar 2025 | |
| Complaints Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 11: Property complaints | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Mar 2025 | |
| PPO response to JSC Tackling Drugs in Prison Inquiry | Consultation response | Feb 2025 | |
| PPO response to JHAC Inquiry into Prison Culture | Consultation response | Feb 2025 | |
| PPO response to JSC inquiry into Rehabilitation and Resettlement | Consultation response | Feb 2025 | |
| Policy into Practice: Emergency Response | Policy into Practice | Jan 2025 | |
| PPO response to the Independent Sentencing Review 2024/25 call for evidence | Consultation response | Jan 2025 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 19: Post-release death investigations 2 | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Jul 2024 | |
| Annual Report 2023-24 | Annual report | Jul 2024 | |
| Annual report 2022-23 | Annual report | Jul 2024 | |
| Policy into practice: Use of force | Policy into Practice | Feb 2024 | |
| PPO response to the inquiry into prison population and capacity | Consultation response | Nov 2023 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 18: Self-inflicted deaths of IPP prisoners | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Sep 2023 | |
| Investigating deaths after release from prison – a pilot evaluation | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Jan 2023 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 17: Post-release death investigations | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Jan 2023 | |
| PPO response to the inquiry into the Prison Operational Workforce | Consultation response | Jan 2023 | |
| Annual Report 2021-22 | Annual report | Oct 2022 | |
| Policy into Practice: Use of restraints on escort | Policy into Practice | Sep 2022 | |
| PPO Response to the Inquiry into IPP sentences | Consultation response | Jan 2022 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 16: Second wave COVID-19 related deaths | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Dec 2021 | |
| Annual Report 2020-21 | Annual report | Sep 2021 | |
| PPO responses to the Inquiry into Women in Prison | Consultation response | Aug 2021 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 15: COVID-19 PPO fatal incident investigations | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Feb 2021 | |
| Complaints Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 10: COVID-19 PPO Complaints | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Dec 2020 |
Incidents
| Name | Establishment | Cause | Status | Date of death | Recs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Gowton | HMP Bristol | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Lawrence Hunter | HMP Ranby | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Jacob Bean | HMP Rochester | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Nicholas Brown | HMP Isle of Wight | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Matthew Pickles | HMP/YOI High Down | In progress | — | — | |
| John Hyde | HMP/YOI Parc | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Wesley Martin | HMP Lincoln | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Jack Bawden | HMP Chelmsford | In progress | — | — | |
| Robert Harvey | HMP Durham | In progress | — | — | |
| Robert Henry Royan | HMP/YOI Parc | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Lisa Clarke | HMP/YOI Styal | In progress | — | — | |
| Benjamin Onyeabo | HMP Pentonville | Self-inflicted | Published | — | — |
| Pawel Kowalski | HMP Winchester | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| James Nanson | HMP Northumberland | In progress | — | — | |
| Colleen Madden | HMP Bronzefield | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Michael Jones | HMP Liverpool | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Lucal Brady | HMP Isle of Wight | Natural | Published | — | — |
| Scott Sansome | HMP Cardiff | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Gary Cooper | HMP Littlehey | In progress | — | — | |
| Tristan Roberts | HMP Exeter | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Jason Sedgwick | HMP Littlehey | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Louis Maniatt | Ty Newydd Approved Premises | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Adrian Stanton | HMP Featherstone | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Sarah Jackson | HMP/YOI Styal | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Wayne Hay | HMP/YOI Parc | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Gary Winters | HMP Whatton | Natural | Published | — | — |
| Ivor Manton | HMP Chelmsford | In progress | — | — | |
| Theophile Kaliviotis | Brook House Immigration Removal Centre | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Manuel Bello | Box Tree Cottage Approved Premises | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| David Stingemore | HMP Isle of Wight | In progress | — | — | |
| Raymond Billam | HMP/YOI Moorland | In progress | — | — | |
| Michael Maharaj | HMP Brixton | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Lee Sentance | HMP Lincoln | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Simon Kubalik | HMP/YOI Doncaster | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| James Smyth | HMP Gartree | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Baby D | HMP Peterborough | Natural | Published | — | — |
| Aleksandras Maslennikovas | HMP Wandsworth | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Andrew Cooper | HMP Winchester | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Lloyd Ramsbottom | HMP Stoke Heath | In progress | — | — | |
| John Mclaren | HMP Hull | In progress | — | — | |
| Thomas Haigh | HMP Manchester | In progress | — | — | |
| Stanley Brown | HMP Liverpool | In progress | — | — | |
| Christopher Anderson | HMP Dovegate | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Ian Coates | HMP Deerbolt | In progress | — | — | |
| Michael Fabian | HMP Winchester | Natural | Published | — | — |
| Derrion Adams | HMP Birmingham | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Ian Huntley | HMP Frankland | In progress | — | — | |
| Thomas Griffiths | Pending inquest | — | — | ||
| Jamie Evans | HMP Kirkham | In progress | — | — | |
| Piran Khan | HMP Wakefield | Pending inquest | — | — |