The Government publishes its Safety in Custody National Statistics bulletin on a quarterly basis, which covers deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody in England and Wales.

The latest publication is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018.

Information about assaults and serious assaults on staff up to December 2018 can be found by selecting the relevant table in the ‘Assaults in prison custody 2000 to 2018’ link. The table is set out by prison and year, and monthly breakdowns can be found by using the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ functions at the top of the table.

assaults on staff table 3.15

assaults on prisoners table 3.16

serious assaults on staff table 3.18

serious assaults on prisoners table 3.19

Violence in prisons remains unacceptably high but there are early signs that we are making progress. Eight of the jails involved in the ‘10 Prisons Project’ saw falls in the final quarter of 2018 – four of them by more than 25% - while the number of assaults across the estate reduced by 11%.

Across the prison estate we have invested an additional £70m in a raft of measures designed to improve safety, security and decency – including body-scanners, enhanced searches and new investigative teams – while the 4,700 additional staff we have recruited since October 2016 are making a real difference.

The Government publishes its Safety in Custody National Statistics bulletin on a quarterly basis, which covers deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody in England and Wales.

The latest publication is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018.

Information about assaults and serious assaults on staff up to December 2018 can be found by selecting the relevant table in the ‘Assaults in prison custody 2000 to 2018’ link. The table is set out by prison and year, and monthly breakdowns can be found by using the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ functions at the top of the table.

assaults on staff table 3.15

assaults on prisoners table 3.16

serious assaults on staff table 3.18

serious assaults on prisoners table 3.19

Violence in prisons remains unacceptably high but there are early signs that we are making progress. Eight of the jails involved in the ‘10 Prisons Project’ saw falls in the final quarter of 2018 – four of them by more than 25% - while the number of assaults across the estate reduced by 11%.

Across the prison estate we have invested an additional £70m in a raft of measures designed to improve safety, security and decency – including body-scanners, enhanced searches and new investigative teams – while the 4,700 additional staff we have recruited since October 2016 are making a real difference.

The Government publishes its Safety in Custody National Statistics bulletin on a quarterly basis, which covers deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody in England and Wales.

The latest publication is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018.

Information about assaults and serious assaults on staff up to December 2018 can be found by selecting the relevant table in the ‘Assaults in prison custody 2000 to 2018’ link. The table is set out by prison and year, and monthly breakdowns can be found by using the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ functions at the top of the table.

assaults on staff table 3.15

assaults on prisoners table 3.16

serious assaults on staff table 3.18

serious assaults on prisoners table 3.19

Violence in prisons remains unacceptably high but there are early signs that we are making progress. Eight of the jails involved in the ‘10 Prisons Project’ saw falls in the final quarter of 2018 – four of them by more than 25% - while the number of assaults across the estate reduced by 11%.

Across the prison estate we have invested an additional £70m in a raft of measures designed to improve safety, security and decency – including body-scanners, enhanced searches and new investigative teams – while the 4,700 additional staff we have recruited since October 2016 are making a real difference.

The Government publishes its Safety in Custody National Statistics bulletin on a quarterly basis, which covers deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody in England and Wales.

The latest publication is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018.

Information about assaults and serious assaults on staff up to December 2018 can be found by selecting the relevant table in the ‘Assaults in prison custody 2000 to 2018’ link. The table is set out by prison and year, and monthly breakdowns can be found by using the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ functions at the top of the table.

assaults on staff table 3.15

assaults on prisoners table 3.16

serious assaults on staff table 3.18

serious assaults on prisoners table 3.19

Violence in prisons remains unacceptably high but there are early signs that we are making progress. Eight of the jails involved in the ‘10 Prisons Project’ saw falls in the final quarter of 2018 – four of them by more than 25% - while the number of assaults across the estate reduced by 11%.

Across the prison estate we have invested an additional £70m in a raft of measures designed to improve safety, security and decency – including body-scanners, enhanced searches and new investigative teams – while the 4,700 additional staff we have recruited since October 2016 are making a real difference.

The Government publishes its Safety in Custody National Statistics bulletin on a quarterly basis, which covers deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody in England and Wales.

The latest publication is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018. Information about incidents of self-harm up to December 2018 can be found by selecting table 2.13 in the ‘Self-harm in prison custody 2000 to 2018’ link. The table is set out by prison and year, and monthly breakdowns can be found by using the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ functions at the top of the table.

We are taking steps to reduce self-harm and self-inflicted death levels by rolling out improved suicide and self-harm training for new and existing staff. Over 25,000 staff have received some training and over 14,000 have received training in all six modules.

Violence in prisons remains unacceptably high but there are early signs that we are making progress. Eight of the jails involved in the ‘10 Prisons Project’ saw falls in the final quarter of 2018 – four of them by more than 25% - while the number of assaults across the estate reduced by 11%.

Across the prison estate we have invested an additional £70m in a raft of measures designed to improve safety, security and decency – including body-scanners, enhanced searches and new investigative teams – while the 4,700 additional staff we have recruited since October 2016 are making a real difference.

The Government publishes an Annual Digest that provides a range of detailed statistics and measures for prisons and probation for the financial year, including data on drug tests and finds.

The latest publication covering the 17/18 financial year is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-hm-prison-and-probation-service-digest-2017-to-2018. Figures on the proportion of positive results for random mandatory drugs tests and the number of incidents where drugs were found for the 17/18 financial year are provided in the table below:

We do not publish monthly breakdowns, however, further information about the proportion of positive results for random mandatory drugs tests can be found by selecting table 7.4 in the ‘Chapter 7 tables – Random mandatory drug testing’ link’.

Further information about the number of incidents where drugs were found can be found by selecting table 9.2 in the ‘Chapter 9 tables – Finds in prison’ link.

These prisons are also part of the 10 Prisons Project which aims to reduce violence in 10 of our most challenging prisons by reducing the supply of drugs; restoring basic decency and providing the training and support for prison officers to challenge the behaviour that drives violence. The project received an initial £10 million funding to improve security and decency, and bolster leadership capability over a 12-month period.

The Government publishes an Annual Digest that provides a range of detailed statistics and measures for prisons and probation for the financial year, including data on drug tests and finds.

The latest publication covering the 17/18 financial year is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-hm-prison-and-probation-service-digest-2017-to-2018. Figures on the proportion of positive results for random mandatory drugs tests and the number of incidents where drugs were found for the 17/18 financial year are provided in the table below:

We do not publish monthly breakdowns, however, further information about the proportion of positive results for random mandatory drugs tests can be found by selecting table 7.4 in the ‘Chapter 7 tables – Random mandatory drug testing’ link’.

Further information about the number of incidents where drugs were found can be found by selecting table 9.2 in the ‘Chapter 9 tables – Finds in prison’ link.

These prisons are also part of the 10 Prisons Project which aims to reduce violence in 10 of our most challenging prisons by reducing the supply of drugs; restoring basic decency and providing the training and support for prison officers to challenge the behaviour that drives violence. The project received an initial £10 million funding to improve security and decency, and bolster leadership capability over a 12-month period.

Data from October 2017 until March 2018, based on published statistics, are provided on the attached table. Please note that data for April 2018 onwards is due for publication in July.

Figures for January to September 2017 are not included as this would require assuring unpublished statistics which could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

It is vital that everyone leaving prison has somewhere safe, stable and secure to live. Having somewhere stable to live acts as a platform for ex-offenders to be able to access the services and support needed to turn their back on crime for good. Overcoming the many barriers offenders face to securing suitable accommodation is something that Ministry of Justice cannot do in isolation.

The Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government are both members of the cross-Government Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Taskforce and the Reducing Reoffending Board. Homelessness of ex-offenders is a key issue that is discussed at these meetings.

We are investing up to £6.4m in a joint pilot scheme to support individuals released from three prisons, namely Bristol, Leeds and Pentonville. We have now launched our Invitation to Tender, to secure suppliers in the three pilot areas. This is a concrete step in our commitment to tackling rough sleeping.

The urgent notification process was triggered at the beginning of this year, and the report has just been published. I do not have the exact figures for the number of assaults on staff over the past four months, but I am very happy to write to the hon. Gentleman with those figures.

Earlier this year, HMP Nottingham was issued with an urgent notification as it is fundamentally unsafe. Will Ministers tell me how many assaults on staff there have been at the prison since this notification was triggered?

Another week, another inquest into the death of a prisoner at HMP Nottingham. Three months on from the prison being declared fundamentally unsafe, what update can Ministers give us on the progress of the recovery plan and on the prison’s ongoing safety?

As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, there has been an urgent notification process. We have put a plan in place. I have now visited HMP Nottingham, and I pay tribute to Tom Wheatley, the governor, for the work he is doing. He has a much better care process in place, and he has highly trained staff. We expect to see improvements soon at HMP Nottingham.

In December, the previous Prisons Minister wrote to me saying that the spate of deaths at HMP Nottingham was a random occurrence, blaming a phenomenon called “suicide cluster”. In January, an inspection of the prison deemed it fundamentally unsafe. Last month there was another death, reported to be a suicide. Will Ministers now accept that there is nothing random going on at this jail and that it is not a safe environment?

As the hon. Gentleman will know, I had a serious visit to HMP Nottingham last week. I pay tribute to the prison officers and the governor for their work, but there are a number of serious challenges in the prison. We are particularly focused on safety. We have a new manager in place and a new violence reduction strategy, and the ACCT process will be central to solving these problems.

Yes. In responding to any Urgent Notification, HMPPS will ensure that every support possible is provided to the prison affected.

The National Offender Management Service has taken immediate action to improve the situation. An experienced temporary Governor was urgently appointed to bring stability and to implement rapid improvements. Subsequently, a new permanent Governor was appointed on 1 February 2015. A review of the staffing levels needed to complete the improvement work required has led to additional staff resources being deployed to the prison. There have been fewer incidents of serious assaults on prisoners and staff, concerted indiscipline and incidents at height since the inspection and there has been a marked improvement in the overall operational stability of the establishment. As with all inspection reports, NOMS will now produce an action plan in response to the recommendations.

Improvements in staffing levels have allowed an increase in the amount of time that prisoners can participate in recreational activities, such as using the gymnasium. It has also enabled prisoners to undertake more educational workshops to enhance employability skills. .

Since the Inspection, HMP Nottingham’s Violence Reduction (VR) Policy has been rewritten and implemented and, in line with the national NOMS VR Policy, requires staff to challenge all forms of violence and apply appropriate sanctions. Additional resources have been allocated to monitoring and managing violence reduction and safer custody. Use of the Independent Adjudicator and/or referral to the Police for consideration of prosecution for violent incidents has increased dramatically. HMP Nottingham continues to challenge all forms of violence and actively promotes a zero tolerance to it. The prison is forging stronger links with the local Police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that, where appropriate, prisoners involved in violence are prosecuted.

The operational capacity of HMP Nottingham was reduced, at the time of the inspection, from 1100 to 1060. There are now regular bedding and clothing checks. This helps to recover items that have been stockpiled by prisoners, to ensure fair allocation of clean clothing and bedding. Additional clothes and bedding have also been issued.

The National Offender Management Service has taken immediate action to improve the situation. An experienced temporary Governor was urgently appointed to bring stability and to implement rapid improvements. Subsequently, a new permanent Governor was appointed on 1 February 2015. A review of the staffing levels needed to complete the improvement work required has led to additional staff resources being deployed to the prison. There have been fewer incidents of serious assaults on prisoners and staff, concerted indiscipline and incidents at height since the inspection and there has been a marked improvement in the overall operational stability of the establishment. As with all inspection reports, NOMS will now produce an action plan in response to the recommendations.

Improvements in staffing levels have allowed an increase in the amount of time that prisoners can participate in recreational activities, such as using the gymnasium. It has also enabled prisoners to undertake more educational workshops to enhance employability skills. .

Since the Inspection, HMP Nottingham’s Violence Reduction (VR) Policy has been rewritten and implemented and, in line with the national NOMS VR Policy, requires staff to challenge all forms of violence and apply appropriate sanctions. Additional resources have been allocated to monitoring and managing violence reduction and safer custody. Use of the Independent Adjudicator and/or referral to the Police for consideration of prosecution for violent incidents has increased dramatically. HMP Nottingham continues to challenge all forms of violence and actively promotes a zero tolerance to it. The prison is forging stronger links with the local Police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that, where appropriate, prisoners involved in violence are prosecuted.

The operational capacity of HMP Nottingham was reduced, at the time of the inspection, from 1100 to 1060. There are now regular bedding and clothing checks. This helps to recover items that have been stockpiled by prisoners, to ensure fair allocation of clean clothing and bedding. Additional clothes and bedding have also been issued.

The National Offender Management Service has taken immediate action to improve the situation. An experienced temporary Governor was urgently appointed to bring stability and to implement rapid improvements. Subsequently, a new permanent Governor was appointed on 1 February 2015. A review of the staffing levels needed to complete the improvement work required has led to additional staff resources being deployed to the prison. There have been fewer incidents of serious assaults on prisoners and staff, concerted indiscipline and incidents at height since the inspection and there has been a marked improvement in the overall operational stability of the establishment. As with all inspection reports, NOMS will now produce an action plan in response to the recommendations.

Improvements in staffing levels have allowed an increase in the amount of time that prisoners can participate in recreational activities, such as using the gymnasium. It has also enabled prisoners to undertake more educational workshops to enhance employability skills. .

Since the Inspection, HMP Nottingham’s Violence Reduction (VR) Policy has been rewritten and implemented and, in line with the national NOMS VR Policy, requires staff to challenge all forms of violence and apply appropriate sanctions. Additional resources have been allocated to monitoring and managing violence reduction and safer custody. Use of the Independent Adjudicator and/or referral to the Police for consideration of prosecution for violent incidents has increased dramatically. HMP Nottingham continues to challenge all forms of violence and actively promotes a zero tolerance to it. The prison is forging stronger links with the local Police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that, where appropriate, prisoners involved in violence are prosecuted.

The operational capacity of HMP Nottingham was reduced, at the time of the inspection, from 1100 to 1060. There are now regular bedding and clothing checks. This helps to recover items that have been stockpiled by prisoners, to ensure fair allocation of clean clothing and bedding. Additional clothes and bedding have also been issued.