Prisons and suicide

Despite decades of recommendations, self-harm in prisons continues to rise. In this report, Samaritans brings together the perspectives of 51 people in prison, supported by co-researchers with lived experience, to understand what drives this trend and how support, including from Samaritan trained Listeners, can better meet the needs of those at risk.

The findings reveal that many people who self-harm are struggling with basic unmet needs: from clean clothes and timely healthcare to meaningful human connection. Self-harm is often a response to feeling ignored, powerless, or isolated, and for some, it becomes the only way to be heard. The Listener scheme provides a vital source of peer support: someone to talk to, someone who understands. But while it is a lifeline for many, it cannot replace professional care, and too often it is relied on to fill systemic gaps.

The message in this research is clear. Improving support for people who self-harm in prison does not require complex interventions, but it does require listening, consistency, and dignity. Read more in the full report below.

Samaritans supports people in prisons through our award-winning Listener scheme, but we also know that wider changes are needed from the Government to help save lives of those in prison.

The increased risk of suicide among people in prison is due to a unique combination of pre-existing factors and the prison environment itself. People in prison are more likely to come from deprived economic backgrounds, more likely to experience alcohol- and drug-related harms, and more likely to have lived through traumatic life events. Evidence shows that all of these factors are connected to suicidal thoughts, feelings and actions.

Additionally, the isolation and harsh environment in prison can make things worse and people can also experience other things in prison which are connected to suicidality, like bullying or bereavement by suicide. However, suicide is a complex issue and can rarely be attributed to one factor. Environment, mental wellbeing, external stimuli and access to means all contribute to suicide risk.

Read about what we are calling for to better support people in prison and leaving prison in England and Wales.

In prisons, suicide risk is a combination of life experiences before imprisonment and the pains of prison life.

Our research confirms that key risk factors, especially mental ill-health, past self-harm, traumatic life experiences and a background of disadvantage are disproportionately common among prisoners. This puts them at a higher risk of suicide before they have even entered prison.

Features unique to the prison environment such as social and physical isolation, uncertainty about sentencing, inconsistent regime and greater likelihood of exposure to suicide can make this risk worse.