The risks of segregation

Segregation and psychological well being

It’s broadly identified that putting a prisoner in segregation reduces their protecting components towards suicide and self-harm. For that reason, the Jail Security Coverage Framework makes clear that using segregation for prisoners receiving assist by means of Evaluation, Care in Custody and Teamwork, generally known as ACCT (the care planning system for these prone to suicide and self-harm), is just defensible in distinctive circumstances.

Regardless of this, we proceed to analyze deaths the place prisoners managed underneath ACCT had been segregated with out full consideration of other choices.

In conducting analysis for the bulletin, we discovered that between 1 April 2024 and 31 December 2025 there have been 14 deaths the place the prisoner was situated in a segregation unit; 8 of them had been on an open ACCT on the time of their dying. This consists of cases the place workers underestimated a prisoner’s danger and the prisoner took their very own life.

All prisoners topic to ACCT monitoring whereas segregated should be referred to the Security Intervention Assembly. Prisons should additionally clearly doc the explanations for segregating somebody that’s on an ACCT and the defensible determination log ought to clearly mirror the prisoner’s dangers, triggers and protecting components. We discovered that this didn’t occur on a number of events.

The shortage of contact with different prisoners and lack of exercise can take its toll when in segregation, and it’s essential that ACCT procedures are correctly adopted when a prisoner is segregated.

Continued segregation

A prisoner’s psychological well being may be very prone to decline when they’re stored in segregation for too lengthy. Jail coverage is obvious that if the psychological well being of a prisoner is in danger and suggests they will be unable to deal with segregation, then they shouldn’t be segregated.

We typically discover that pathways out of segregation and re-integration to straightforward wings haven’t been thought of correctly, ensuing within the prisoner being held in segregation situations longer than essential. In one of many circumstances we investigated, the prisoner had been segregated for 110 days. Though we discovered workers had thought of all potential pathways out of the segregation unit, we proceed to analyze circumstances the place this has not occurred.

The explanations for preliminary and persevering with segregation choices must be commonly monitored in order that prisoners don’t spend longer in segregation than is important or justified. 

Segregation procedures

Lots of our deadly incident investigations reveal examples the place workers haven’t adopted coverage or process. This may usually result in an adversarial end result for the prisoner.

Our analysis revealed circumstances the place workers didn’t comply with the procedures set out in HMPPS’ Segregation Coverage. This included workers not visiting the prisoner as required. Jail workers should full a type to set out the explanation for a prisoner’s preliminary segregation. We discovered examples the place this was additionally not completed, which means the prisoner wouldn’t know why they had been segregated or for a way lengthy. This may create emotions of tension and uncertainty, rising their danger of suicide and self-harm.

We suggest that governors and healthcare leaders guarantee sturdy high quality assurance processes are in place to allow them to be assured that segregation procedures are being adopted.