Concerns remain over violence and suicide despite improvements at HMP Woodhill

Watchdogs have raised concerns after it emerged nine inmates have taken their own lives at a prison in recent years.

There had been five more self-inflicted deaths since HMP Woodhill was last inspected, making a total of nine since 2012.

Deputy chief inspector of prisons Martin Lomas said: “This was an unacceptable toll.”

A report of an unannounced inspection of the jail near Milton Keynes said levels of violence, including assaults on staff, were “much higher than we normally see in local prisons”.

Inspectors also found there had been impressive progress in providing work, training and education, drug availability was lower than elsewhere and the support given to prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm was often better than the records showed.

Mr Lomas said: “HMP Woodhill is an improving prison and its very good purposeful activity and good rehabilitation services are better than we have seen recently in many other local prisons.

“Good outcomes in these areas help to create a sense of purpose and hope and reduce frustration and tension.

“Despite this, levels of violence are a significant concern and the number of self-inflicted deaths in recent years has been unacceptably high.The main priority of the prison must be to tackle these two areas.”

Michael Spurr, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, said:”As the Chief Inspector says, Woodhill has made impressive progress in providing work, education, training and support to help prisoners turn their lives around.

“Given the significant operational pressures the prison has faced this is an excellent achievement.”

He added: “Tackling increased levels of violence and preventing suicides is the top priority for the Governor and for the Prison Service as a whole.

“Tragically, as recent incidents at Woodhill have demonstrated, the challenge is considerable – but we will use the recommendations in this report to further develop and improve our approach.”

Figures show that there were 89 apparent self-inflicted deaths across the prison estate in England and Wales last year.

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