Agenda Alliance responds to levels of self-harm reaching ‘new peak’ in women’s prisons

“It is unacceptable that each time these statistics are published, we expect to see a rise in women self-harming in prison.

Self-harm is a sign of serious mental distress and must not be normalised: these numbers are evidence of how extremely unsafe our prisons are.

Too many women are in prison as a result of trauma and abuse, in need of specialist support in the community rather than a custodial sentence. 

This is especially the case for young women. Our previous research has shown that this age group demonstrate some of the highest levels of self-harm of any in prison. With self-harm reaching these record levels, we are therefore seriously concerned for their safety.

Shabana Mahmood launched the Women’s Justice Board with a particular commitment to tackling the acute challenges of young women in custody, including their levels of self-harm. 

We expect to see a clear, targeted, approach for young women included in the upcoming Board’s strategy, to make sure they can remain in their communities, supported by well-funded specialist services designed to meet their specific needs.”