Overcrowding putting vulnerable inmates at risk at prison with highest number of suicides
After 16 self-inflicted deaths in three years, a watchdog has warned that vulnerable prisoners in one of the country’s most crowded prisons are being put at risk.
HMP Leeds recorded the highest number of suspected suicides among adult male prisons in England and Wales between 2022 and 2025.
Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, found weaknesses in care on arrival, unacceptable delays in transfers to hospital under the Mental Health Act and inadequate day-to-day support left prisoners at risk.
He called for the needs of vulnerable and mentally ill prisoners to be prioritized to “put an end to the unacceptable number of suicides in prison”.
Two more inmates have committed suicide since inspectors visited the prison in July; however, the deaths are considered self-inflicted until the medical examiner rules it as a suicide.
Almost eight in ten people held in a Category B reception prison are forced to share cramped cells designed for single occupancy. Although the Victoria prison is licensed for just 655 inmates, there were 1,088 inmates when inspectors visited.
Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Sentencing Reform, accused prison “chronic overcrowding” of putting lives at risk.
“If there had been 16 self-inflicted deaths at another government facility within three years, there would have been a national outcry and calls for a public inquiry,” he said. “What is being done to keep people safe?
“It is inevitable that bold action is urgently needed to reduce the prison population. This prison contains, by its own measures, 500 more men than it can safely and honestly hold.”
Prison leaders have recently introduced random CCTV checks to ensure staff carry out mandatory checks on prisoners at risk of self-harm. It comes after the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman warned of “widespread falsification” of vital checks on vulnerable prisoners this summer.
But inmates at Leeds told investigators they were happy for wing officers to check on them, but most officers did not give them time to talk and they felt the inmates didn’t care.
Investigators found that nearly 40 percent of inmates spent at least 22 hours in their cells with limited access to education, work and other activities.
Almost six in ten prisoners say they did not feel safe at some point during their stay.
The report stated that 1,029 incidents were recorded in the last 12 months, and the use of force increased by 114 percent since the last inspection in 2022. In the sample cases examined by investigators, efforts to de-escalate conflicts before officers resorted to force were very limited.
37 percent of the inmates surveyed said they had a drug or alcohol problem, and 18 percent said they had a drug or alcohol problem while in prison.
Inconsistent staff relationships were another challenge. Mr Taylor said: “While some staff showed care and professionalism, others were disinterested or unhelpful.
“One-to-one work with prisoners had stalled, with less than 3 per cent of planned sessions taking place in the previous six months, and little had been done to tackle the very high levels of homelessness post-release.”
Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Foundation, said the findings “reveal the human cost when prisons fail to meet the needs of their most vulnerable prisoners”.
He added: “The report highlights familiar patterns in prisons struggling to provide safe, respectful and purposeful conditions: overcrowding, minimal meaningful activity, high levels of drug use and limited support for constructive staff-prisoner relationships, all exacerbated by a highly transient population.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “This worrying report underlines the crisis this Government has inherited in our prisons. “We are already taking urgent steps to tackle the number of self-inflicted deaths at HMP Leeds, including improving staff training and creating new specialist cells that provide ongoing supervision of prisoners who may be at risk.
“We know there is more to do on prison land, which is why we are delivering the biggest prison expansion since Victorian times and delivering landmark sentencing reforms to ensure prisons are never short of space again.”
If you are experiencing distressed emotions or having difficulty coping, you can talk or email the Samaritans confidentially on 116 123 (UK and ROI). jo@samaritans.orgor visit Samaritans If you are a US resident and you or someone you know needs mental health help right now, call or text 988 or visit: 988lifeline.org To access online chat on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis helpline that anyone can access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country you can go to: www.befrienders.org To find a helpline near you
