Deaths in custody

Nearly 2,000 people have died while in police custody or in prison during the last ten years. While the death rate for those in police custody appears to be declining, deaths in prison are increasing. Since 1995 the average number of deaths in prison has risen to 113 a year, a 51% increase on the annual average of 75 between 1990 and 1995.

Black people are at greatest risk, whether in police custody or prison. The latest annual report of campaigning organisation Inquest reveals that more than one in eight deaths in custody is of a black person. It also shows that black prisoners are statistically much more likely to die as a result of control and restraint measures than white prisoners.