Written question asked by Matthew Offord (Conservative) on Monday, 24 January 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 26 January 2011. It was answered by Crispin Blunt (Conservative) on Monday, 31 January 2011 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Offenders: Self-Harm

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to improve supervision for offenders at risk of self-harm.

Answer: All prisons have a broad, integrated and evidence-based suicide prevention and self-harm management strategy that seeks to reduce the distress of all who live and work in prisons. The strategy encompasses a wide spectrum of prison and Department of Health work around such issues as mental health, drugs, resettlement, leadership and training. A prisoner-focused care planning system for those identified at risk, Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) has helped prisons to manage self-harm.NOMS has commissioned Oxford university to undertake research that will support our understanding of self-harm in prison. The study will look at some 140,000 recorded incidents of self-harm between 2004-09. The analysis will provide an evidence base to inform the development of more effective mechanisms for identifying, managing and reducing the risk of those prisoners who self-harm.

Secondary information