Prisoner self-harm

Increases in prisoner self-harm incidents have raised questions about the quality of Britain's prisons system.

The Howard League for Penal Reform, a prison reform charity, has announced figures suggesting an increase from 16,393 in 2002 to 22,459 in 2007.

This 37 per cent hike is nearly four times the rise in inmates in the same period, leading to suggestions that standards of care for prisoners with mental health problems and addictions may be slipping.

In January the Ministry of Justice admitted the number of prisoners attempting to kill themselves had increased from 67 in 2006 to 92 in 2007. Forty-five of these were either being held on remand, unsentenced or awaiting sentence after conviction.

Although the government implemented an inquiry into that development ministers were today defending the rise by claiming it was a reflection of improved reporting procedures rather than an overall deterioration.

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