Prison violence in England and Wales hits record levels amid rising assaults

Prison violence in England and Wales has climbed to new highs, with 29,881 assaults recorded in custody in the 12 months to September 2024, a rate of 342 assaults per 1,000 prisoners. Assaults on staff also hit a new peak, rising to 10,496 incidents at a rate of 120 per 1,000 prisoners.

The figures point to a system where violence is not an anomaly but a routine hazard. Serious assaults rose to 3,318 in the same period, while serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased to 2,384. In female establishments, both the rate and number of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and assaults on staff reached new peaks, underlining how widely the pressure is spreading across the estate.

The numbers are landing against a grim backdrop. In the 12 months to December 2024, there were 342 deaths in prison custody in England and Wales, including 89 self-inflicted deaths. Justice Data put the prison population at 87,334 on 30 June 2025, leaving the system to absorb record levels of violence while carrying an already heavy load.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons has repeatedly linked that violence to conditions inside the jails themselves. Inspectors have warned that drugs are being smuggled in by drone, drug debts are driving retaliation, gang rivalry is shaping day-to-day life, and weapons are being made routinely in some prisons. At HMP Swaleside, inspectors said violence had almost doubled since the previous inspection and was the highest for assaults against staff. They said much of the disorder was driven by large amounts of drugs brought in by drones, with drug debts and gang rivalry often behind assaults, and many prisoners routinely making and carrying weapons.

That pattern matters because it shows how predictable the violence has become. Once drugs, debt and weapons move through a prison unchecked, intimidation spreads and prisoners are pressured into hurting others to survive, settle scores or prove allegiance. The result is a culture in which fear is normalised and staff are forced to work inside it every day.

The Prison Officers’ Association said the latest Ministry of Justice figures showed violence remained far too high. HM Inspectorate of Prisons has also highlighted worsening conditions and punitive responses to people in crisis, suggesting the system is still relying on pressure and containment in places where control has already frayed. Unless HM Prison and Probation Service tackles contraband routes, gang influence and the way vulnerable prisoners are managed, the record numbers now on the books are likely to keep rising.