Prison violence on rise in England, Wales

LONDON

Violence in prisons across England and Wales has increased over the past year, according to new figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Thursday.

The latest safety in custody statistics show a 9% rise in overall assaults in the 12 months to March 2025, with 30,846 recorded incidents – the equivalent of 356 assaults per 1,000 prisoners.

However, the most recent quarterly data suggests the rate of assaults has stabilized.

Assaults on prison staff also rose, up 7% over the year, with 10,568 incidents – 122 per 1,000 prisoners. Despite the annual increase, staff assaults fell by 2.5% in the latest quarter.

Serious assaults in jails climbed by 6% year-on-year to 3,402 incidents, or 39 per 1,000 prisoners. The number includes an 8% rise in serious prisoner-on-prisoner violence, although serious assaults on staff fell by 2%.

The number of homicides in prisons also rose sharply, with seven recorded in the 12 months to June 2025 – up from none the previous year.