WIREDGOV

An Official Statistics in Development Publication.

According to statistics published by the Chief Statistician today, there were 345 deaths in prison custody over the period 2012-13 to 2022-23, with the annual number of deaths generally increasing over this time.  

The statistics provide an overview of high-level trends in deaths in prison custody over the period 2012-13 to 2022-23 and do not reflect the individual personal stories of the people involved.

The statistics should not be taken as indicative that the risk of death changes specifically because of an individual being in prison custody. Underlying contributory or determinant factors have not been examined in the analysis presented.

Around 30% of deaths in prison custody over the reporting period were categorised as probable suicide (105).

While there is a general upward trend in the overall number of deaths in prison custody over this period, the number of probable suicides has fluctuated between years. However, the number of probable suicides per year is at a slightly increased level from 2016-17 to 2022-23 when compared against the earlier years in the reporting period.

The second most frequent cause of death in prison custody over the reporting period was diseases of the circulatory system (71 in total over the period, 20.6% overall). This category includes ischaemic (coronary) heart disease (37) and cerebrovascular disease(15). The number of circulatory diseases deaths in prison custody per year has fluctuated over the reporting period. In the 2022-23, there were 10 such deaths, the second highest annual figure across the time period.

There were 50 drug misuse deaths in prison custody (14.5% overall) between 2012-13 and 2022-23. While there are fluctuations year to year, the number of drug misuse deaths in prison custody has increased over the reporting period, peaking at 12 in 2021-22.

Using standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), the report shows that the risk of death in the male prison population has been statistically significantly lower than in the male general population of Scotland in each year between 2012-13 and 2022-23. 

The risk of male probable suicide deaths in prison custody was similar to the male general population across the rolling periods 2012-15 to 2018-21, but in the rolling periods 2019-22 and 2020-23 the risk of male probable suicide deaths in prison custody was statistically significantly higher than the general population. 

The risk of male drug misuse deaths in prison custody was statistically significantly lower than in the general population for the periods 2012-15 to 2019-2022. However, for the period 2020-2023 the risk of male drug misuse deaths in the prison population is similar to the general male population.  

Patterns in both the male prison population and the general male population impact on the SMRs presented in the report. Therefore, consideration must be given to the patterns present in both the prison and general populations when interpreting the results.

Background

Full publication.

The National Records of Scotland publish on deaths in the general population.

If you are a journalist covering these statistics in the media, please consider following the guidelines issued by Samaritans on the reporting of suicide.

If you are struggling to cope, help is available. NHS inform has a list of resources available to anyone, with many of these available 24 hours a day.

Samaritans can be called for free on 116 123 (UK and Republic of Ireland) or contacted via email at jo@samaritans.org. Visit the Samaritans website for more information.