Source · Deaths in custody
PPO Fatal Incident Reports
6,563 incidents
5,801 published
1,698 recommendations
1,676 self-inflicted
3,427 natural causes
Deaths in custody investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. Among the incidents indexed here, 26% are recorded as self-inflicted. Source: PPO.
Incidents
Kevin Delahunty
Nicola Birchall
Aaron Nunes
Top recommendation themes
Learning & thematic publications
| Title | Type | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| The number of complaints received by the PPO from 1 January 2023 onwards by people held in immigration removal centres and in short-term holding facilities | FOI response | Jul 2026 | |
| Annual Report 2025 to 2026 | Annual report | Jul 2026 | |
| To provide information on prisons in the United Kingdom with forty or more self-inflicted deaths in the last ten years, alongside their total | FOI response | Jul 2026 | |
| The three English prisons with the highest number of self-inflicted deaths between 2016 to 2026 (excluding HMP Leeds), with annual breakdowns | FOI response | Jul 2026 | |
| The total number of prison deaths that occurred while the individual was located in a segregation unit per calendar from 2021 to 2025 | FOI response | Jul 2026 | |
| The number of drug-related deaths in prisons in England and Wales from 2010 to 2025 | FOI response | Jul 2026 | |
| A breakdown of the epilepsy deaths in Welsh prisons from the PPO’s Learning Lessons Bulletin on epilepsy deaths | FOI response | Jul 2026 | |
| The number of people held in prison, either serving a sentence or on remand, who have died by suicide between 2016 to 2026, broken down by each prison in Yorkshire | FOI response | Jul 2026 | |
| PPO response to JSC Inquiry into Children and Young Adults in the Secure Estate | Consultation response | Jun 2026 | |
| The number of upheld complaints made to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) about accommodation from 2024 to 2025. | FOI response | Apr 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 | |
| HMP Elmley prisoner deaths by year from 2010 to 2025 | FOI response | Feb 2026 | |
| Complaints to the PPO about inadequate access to sanitary products since 2020 | FOI response | Feb 2026 | |
| The number of health-related deaths in prison | FOI response | Feb 2026 | |
| How many complaints did IPCI receive from prisoners during 2024? | FOI response | Feb 2026 | |
| How many complaints has the PPO received regarding lost property by HMP Peterborough | FOI response | Feb 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 20: Epilepsy | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Nov 2025 | |
| Annual Report 2024 to 2025 | Annual report | Jul 2025 | |
| The number of deaths linked to drug taking in prisons in England and Wales between 2020 to 2024 | FOI response | Jun 2025 | |
| How many prisoner deaths has the PPO been notified of each year, or started investigating, where there is a suspicion the death was drug-related? | FOI response | Jun 2025 | |
| The number of prisoners who died where no care plan was in place as found in PPO fatal incident investigations (1 February 2023 to 16 September 2023) | FOI response | Jun 2025 | |
| Provide a list of deaths by suicide in English prisons since 2022 | FOI response | Jun 2025 | |
| The PPO response time for all cases in last three and current financial year | FOI response | Jun 2025 | |
| The number of self-inflicted deaths recorded in prisons from 2019 to 2024 | FOI response | Jun 2025 | |
| The number of individuals in prisons, young offender institutions and approved premises in England and Wales and/or within 14 days of being released from prison were at the time of their deaths subject to an IPP | FOI response | Jun 2025 | |
| To confirm when the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s (PPO) Yarl’s Wood special investigation report was completed | FOI response | Jun 2025 | |
| To provide the total number of Prevention of Future Deaths (PFDs or Regulation 28 letters) | FOI response | Jun 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 |