HMP Leeds: Long cell 'lock-ups' blamed as Armley prison now has second highest suicide rate in country

The HM Inspectorate of Prisons said little improvement had been made in the last 12 months, following a recent study.

The report reads: “The inspection in 2022 raised serious concerns about the numbers of prisoners taking their own lives, and, despite making progress in many other areas, leaders had failed to address this vital issue – seven prisoners had taken their own lives since our inspection just 13 months ago, and Leeds now had the second highest rate of self-inflicted deaths of any prison in England and Wales.”

Independent officials spent three days at the jail this July before publishing their recent findings. A new governor for HMP Leeds has been appointed since last year’s inspection, along with other leadership changes which inspectors said had “slowed progress in a number of key areas”.

In relation to the worrying number of deaths, they said the prison and probation ombudsman were failing to identify risks when prisoners arrived, and that long periods spent locked in cells were common factors in the deaths.

They also said action to address self-harm had “started far too late and its impact on the experience of prisoners was yet to be realised”, and again pointed to the limited time spent out of cells.

Needlessly still using ‘Covid-19 bubbles’ that were implemented during lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus was also contributing to the problem.

The inspectors found that there were still around 200 prisoners in Armley with no job in the prison system, despite there being enough places for everyone to work part-time.

Those without such work were spending more than 23 hours a day locked up, with just 45 minutes out of their cell. This compared to four hours for those working.

They wrote: “We found unemployment and the long periods spent locked up during the weekend were common factors in many of these deaths.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Our hardworking staff are driving real improvement at HMP Leeds – including in education and support on release so prisoners have the tools to turn their backs on crime.

“We are also improving safety, so staff are better equipped to identify and support prisoners at risk of self-harm.”