Two people died in Dorset prisons last year
Figures have been revealed by the Howard League for Penal Reform
Two people have died in Dorset's prison last year, according to stats uncovered by the Howard League for Penal Reform.
They both passed away at Guys Marsh near Shaftesbury, with no deaths at Portland Jail.
No further details have been released about how those deaths occurred.
Nationally, 301 deaths were recorded by the Ministry of Justice in prisons in England and Wales in 2022 - 74 of those by suicide.
That's lower than in 2021, when 371 people died.
54,761 incidents of self-harm were also recorded in the 12 months to the end of September 2022, at a rate of one every nine-and-a-half minutes.
Self-harm incidents rose by 1% in men’s prisons and 18% in women’s prisons.
Over the same period, prisons recorded 20,872 assaults – an 11% rise on the figures for the previous 12 months.
Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said:
“These grim figures lay bare the scale of the mental health crisis in prisons across England and Wales. The alarming rate of self-harm incidents – one every nine-and-a-half minutes – should alert everyone to the intolerable conditions faced by people living and working behind bars.
“While the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be behind us, six people die in prison each week. Although restrictions in the community were eased long ago, thousands of men and women in prison remain locked in their cells for more than 20 hours each day. The number of people held on remand is at its highest level for more than half a century. The damage caused by all this is widespread, and yet still not fully understood.
“As the government presses ahead with its wrong-headed plans, building more prisons with no thought for the consequences, these tragedies lie forgotten in the background. The Howard League will keep bringing them to the fore.”