A lack of data on prisoner characteristics gives an incomplete picture of who dies in prison and why, and may contribute to preventable deaths in custody, according to a new report.
In the new report – “How documenting inequalities can reduce prisoner deaths.”a team of experts from the University of Nottingham has highlighted that equality data, including prisoner characteristics such as disability and indicators of socio-economic deprivation, is an essential foundation for evidence-based action to prevent deaths in custody.
The research was part of the European Research Council-funded RECEDE project and was led by Philippa Tomczak, professor of criminology and criminal justice, and researcher Dr Laura Haas, from the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham.
Since 2012, the number of prisoner deaths has increased significantly in England and Wales. Many of these deaths are preventable but remain largely unknown to the general public.
Professor Tomczak said: “Our report highlights that enhanced data is an essential foundation for evidence-based action to prevent prisoner deaths. However, information on key prisoner characteristics such as ethnicity, disability and socio-economic deprivation is not routinely recorded or published as part of prisoner death investigations.”
This means that prisoner death investigations are not compliant with the law. Public sector equality duty It is not consistent with domestic abuse-related death surveys, child death surveys, or maternal mortality data. ”
Philippa Tomczak, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nottingham
In their report, the research team found that enriching mortality data can save lives, improve services and help:
- Informing service provision to address unequally distributed mortality risks.
- Improve consistency across different types of mortality data and studies.
- Strengthening compliance Equality Act 2010 and United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
- Building on initiatives such as the Data First program and the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) partnership.
The team recommends that the Ministry of Justice and the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman strengthen prisoner data by:
- Include prisoner characteristics in Prison and Probation Ombudsman death investigation reports and combine individual reports into a single dataset.
- Increasing recognition of disability in mortality datasets.
- Publishing ethnicity data at a more granular level.
- Including socio-economic deprivation in prisoner death data.
- Publish the intersection breakdown of equality data.
Dr. Haas said, “Implementation of our recommendations will enable analysis of currently obscured patterns of inequity and unmet needs in prisoner deaths, supporting evidence-based death prevention and service development. Our report provides examples of good practice from other death datasets and explains how to adjust recording methods and accelerate implementation of our recommendations.”
New reports will be released in conjunction with tour performances. woodhilla multi-award-winning documentary play by theater company LUNG.
The film tells the true stories of three families who lost loved ones at HMP Woodhill between 2013 and 2018 and searched for answers, highlighting the human impact behind the report’s findings.
The Woodhill family said: “Our boys needed help, not punishment. They were sentenced to prison, which became a death sentence. There is a growing crisis in our prisons. We are proud to share this story across the country and create a national movement. We will not stop until our voices are heard.”
Matt Woodhead, co-director of LUNG and honorary research fellow at the University of Nottingham, said: “HMP Woodhill has received two emergency notices in the past three years, with rates of self-harm still the highest in men’s facilities and acute psychiatric It is heartbreaking to read that a sick man is waiting 191 days to be transferred to a secure hospital. Recognizing the characteristics of prisoners and publishing a cross-breakdown of equality data is a vital first step.” Saving lives at HMP Woodhill. To prevent future deaths, we need to understand who is most at risk and ensure they receive the support they need. That is their human right. ”
