Number of Deaths in Prison Custody 2012-13 to 2023-24

Introduction

This report is based on data produced by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS). SPS publish quarterly updates on their website with information on deaths that have occurred in prison custody in the most recent quarter. This published data has been linked by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) to the official death records to identify the underlying cause of death as defined by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (10th Revision) (ICD-10). Further information about how NRS code each death, as well as background information on producing figures for deaths can be found on their website.

This report provides an overview of high-level trends in deaths in prison custody over the period 2012-13 to 2023-24. The report presents a high-level summary of deaths in prison custody and therefore does not reflect the individual personal stories of the people involved.

In this report, the causes of deaths occurring in prison custody between 2012-13 and 2023-24 are examined. Deaths occurring in prison custody between 2012-13 and 2023-24 are also compared with deaths occurring in the general Scottish population, and the relative risk of death in prison custody is explored using standardised mortality ratios (SMRs).

The analyses presented in this report should not be taken as indicative that the risk of death changes specifically because of an individual being in prison custody. Underlying contributory or determinant factors have not been examined in this analysis.

It is important to note that the information on cause of death provided in this report may differ from the cause of death noted on the SPS website. Prior to 2019, SPS reported on the broader categories of cause of death rather than those provided by NRS. From 2019 onwards, SPS listed the cause/s of death as provided on the medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) without further classification.

The period covered by this report reflects the latest available official statistics on cause of death from NRS. The report on Deaths in Prison Custody should be viewed in the context of the prison population during the period covered by the data, and not more recent prison population figures.

Deaths in Prison Custody 2012-13 to 2023-24

(Supplementary Table A1)

In 2023-24, there were 54 deaths recorded in prison custody.  Overall, from 2012-13 to 2023-24, there were 399 deaths recorded in prison custody in total.

The annual number of deaths occurring in prison custody has fluctuated between 2012-13 and 2023-24, but there has been a general upward trend. The figure for the most recent reporting year (54 in 2023-24) is the highest annual figure recorded, +15 from 2022-23 (39) and +6 from the previous peak in 2021-22 (48).

Over the reporting period, the average number of deaths occurring per year is 33.3.

Figure 1 shows the number of deaths in prison custody recorded in each financial year, between 2012-13 and 2023-24.

Deaths in Prison Custody by Age Band

(Supplementary Tables A2 and A3)

As outlined in Scottish Prison Population and Trends, the age profile of the prison population is different to the general population.

Over the period 2012-13 to 2023-24, the highest number of deaths in prison custody were recorded in the age band 45-49 years (52 in total). This is 9 more than the next most frequent age band of 40-44 (43 in total).

Figure 2 shows the number of deaths in prison custody across the period 2012-13 to 2023-24 by age band.

Looking at age bands by financial year (figure 3) shows that until 2018-19 deaths involving those aged 35 to 54 years comprised the highest number of deaths in prison custody in most years. Since 2019-20, the number of deaths in prison custody involving those aged 55+ years has increased and exceeded the number involving those aged 35-54 years (with the exception of 2021-22). The number of deaths in prison custody involving those aged under 34 has fluctuated over the reporting period.

Figure 3 shows the number of deaths in prison custody in each year (2012-13 to 2023-24) by grouped age bands.

In 2023-24, the number of deaths increased across each age band (+2 in 55 and over, +6 in 35-54, and +7 in under 34).

Deaths in Prison Custody by Sex

(Supplementary Tables A4)

Of the 399 deaths that occurred in prison custody during the period 2012-13 to 2023-24, 383 were males (around 96%), and 16 were females (around 4%). In 2023-24, 53 of the 54 deaths recorded were male and 1 was female.

This distribution of deaths in prison custody is broadly consistent with the distribution of the prison population over the same period. In the Scottish Prison Population Statistics (2023-24), it was reported that women comprised around 4% of the average daily prison population in 2023-24. In each financial year over the period 2012-13 to 2023-24, women comprised between 3.8% and 5.7% of the average daily prison population.

Figure 4 shows the number of deaths in prison custody in each year, between 2012-13 and 2023-24, by sex.

Crude Death Rate in Prison Custody

(Supplementary Tables A5 and A6)

The Accredited Official Statistics on the Scottish Prison Population can be used to estimate the rate of death in prison custody per 1,000 prison population. This can be based on one of two factors: 

• the total number of individuals that experienced imprisonment at any point during the year (Individuals) and; 

• the average daily prison population (ADP) 

The crude rate of death per 1,000 prison population for individuals experiencing imprisonment in 2023-24 was 3.5 (figure 5). This represents a rise of 0.8 on the previous year’s figure.

The crude rate of death per 1,000 prison population for the average daily population in 2023-24 was 6.9 (figure 6). This represents a rise of 1.6 on the previous year’s figure. 

Figure 5 shows the rate of death in prison custody per 1,000 population (Individuals) in each year between 2012-13 and 2023-24.

Figure 6 shows the rate of death in prison custody per 1,000 population (ADP) in each year between 2012-13 and 2023-24.

While there are fluctuations over the reporting period for both measures, the overall trend is that crude rate of death in prison custody has increased between 2012-13 and 2023-24. 

The latest year (2023-24) saw the highest rates recorded in the time series for both measures.