Prison Violence Soars in England, Wales

2025-08-03 05:48:55

(MENAFN) Violence across prisons in England and Wales has surged significantly over the past year, according to fresh data published Thursday by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

New Safety in Custody statistics reveal a 9% year-on-year increase in total assaults, with 30,846 incidents reported in the 12 months leading up to March 2025. That equates to 356 assaults for every 1,000 inmates.

While annual figures show a troubling rise, the latest quarterly update indicates that the rate of assaults may be plateauing.

Assaults targeting prison staff also climbed, registering a 7% annual increase with 10,568 reported cases—amounting to 122 assaults per 1,000 prisoners. However, staff-targeted assaults declined slightly by 2.5% in the most recent quarter.

Serious assaults inside prisons rose by 6% compared to the previous year, reaching 3,402 incidents, or 39 per 1,000 inmates. This includes an 8% uptick in serious prisoner-on-prisoner attacks. Notably, serious assaults against staff dropped by 2%.

The number of prison homicides spiked dramatically, with seven killings recorded between July 2024 and June 2025—up from zero the prior year.

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