A prisons watchdog has warned of the “widespread falsification” of records claiming checks on suicidal inmates have been carried out.
A report from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) Adrian Usher found evidence that prison staff had lied over mandatory welfare checks for prisoners at risk of self-harm.
It comes as prisoner deaths have soared by 35 per cent year on year, with 486 deaths investigated by the ombudsman in 2024-2025, 100 of which were self-inflicted.
This includes 393 deaths in prison, up 106 compared to the previous year, and 73 deaths within 14 days of being released from custody.
There was also a 15 per cent increase in complaints from prisoners as widespread overcrowding puts the system “under strain”, the report found.
“I am concerned about the rise in complaints and deaths we have seen, and we are working closely with the services in remit to understand what the causes may be,” Mr Usher said.
The ombudsman’s report noted the prison population is getting older thanks to longer prison sentences and a significant rise in historic sexual offence convictions.
The report also identified systemic issues around falsified records, particularly relating to at-risk prisoners subject to Assessment, Care in Custody, and Teamwork (ACCT) monitoring.
It comes after checks of prison CCTV proved staff had lied about carrying out welfare checks on a prisoner who died.
“This year, we have been disappointed to identify widespread falsification of records by staff, particularly relating to ACCT checks (intended to provide support to and monitoring of prisoners considered at risk of suicide and self-harm) and routine checks which also serve as an opportunity to check on prisoners’ welfare,” the report said.
“In one case, a review of CCTV on the wing where the prisoner died identified that staff had falsified his ACCT document, recording that they had conducted checks when they had not.”
As a result, the ombudsman recommended that staff who have been found to falsify records face disciplinary action.
The Prison Reform Trust said the findings were “shocking and unacceptable” as they called for urgent reform.
“The findings of the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s Annual Report are deeply troubling and highlight the urgent need for reform in our prison system,” chief executive Pia Sinha said.
“The 35 per cent increase in investigations following a death, particularly among older prisoners, is a stark reminder of the human cost of overcrowded prisons and systemic failings.
“The identification of widespread falsification of records, especially in monitoring prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm, is shocking and unacceptable. It underscores the need to support staff with proper training and resources, but also to hold them accountable when standards are breached.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “While the majority of deaths are due to natural causes, we take each and every one very seriously and anyone found falsifying records faces disciplinary action and being referred to the police.
“We have also improved observation checks of those at risk of self-harm – ensuring CCTV is properly reviewed.”
my view
There’s something I need to say. Not want to say — need to say. Because when you’ve lived it, when you’ve been there, when the cold silence of a cell closes in and your safety depends on others actually doing what they’re supposed to… it becomes impossible to stay quiet.
We’re told these places are about “rehabilitation” and “duty of care.” We’re told the system works — or at least tries to. But what happens when those on the inside — the ones paid to protect the vulnerable — simply lie? What happens when officers sign their name in a suicide-watch logbook pretending they’ve checked on you, when in reality, hours have passed and no one has so much as looked in? I’ll tell you what happens: people die.
I’ve been on ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork) many times. It’s the suicide-monitoring protocol in UK prisons. It’s supposed to keep people alive when they’re at their lowest. I remember what it felt like to be that person — the one people were meant to be watching, meant to be checking in on. But those checks? Half the time they never happened. And I’m not alone in saying this. So many others have seen it — or didn’t live long enough to say they did.
The Books Don’t Lie — But the Staff Sometimes Do
Here’s the truth people outside don’t always know: those ACCT logbooks are legal documents. They are official records. What’s written in them isn’t just a scribble on paper. It’s a statement of duty carried out — or supposed to be. When prison staff tick boxes saying they made a check when they didn’t, that is fraud. That is a criminal offence. It’s not just laziness or forgetfulness. It’s deception.
And yet… where is the accountability?
Where is the justice for the ones who died when no one came? For the families who were told their loved one was “monitored regularly,” only to later find out the logs were forged?
Who Is Protecting the Uniforms?
We have watchdogs. We have inspectors. We have the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, and the Chief Inspector of Prisons, and the Ministry of Justice itself. So tell me this — where are they when people inside are screaming for help that never comes?
Because these watchdogs know. The PPO’s 2025 annual report openly states that “widespread falsification” of suicide-check records has occurred — backed up by CCTV, no less. People lied. Staff signed off checks they didn’t do. And what happened to them? Are they still wearing the uniform? Still collecting their paycheques?
Every time this happens and no one is held accountable, it sends a message: that some lives don’t matter. That officers can bend the rules, lie on legal documents, and still be protected. The uniform shields them, while the vulnerable are left exposed.
This Is Not Just Policy — It’s Life and Death
Let’s be clear: suicide in prison is preventable. These systems are in place for a reason. When they’re followed, lives are saved. When they’re ignored, lives are lost.
We are talking about people in moments of unbearable crisis. Mental illness, trauma, addiction, grief — they don’t disappear behind bars. They often get worse. That’s why ACCT exists. It’s not optional. It’s not for show. It’s there to catch people on the edge — before they fall.
When staff don’t do their job, it’s not a technicality. It’s lethal.
I Speak Because I’ve Lived It
This isn’t just something I read about. I’ve felt it. I’ve sat in that silence, counting the minutes, watching the clock, waiting for someone to check the hatch. Sometimes they did. Sometimes they didn’t. But the book always said they had.
I’ve watched men break down in the dark, unheard and unseen, because the log said they were “settled” when no one had even looked.
And I ask — if I wasn’t here to say this, who would?
To Those in Power: We Are Watching Too
So to the PPO, to the Ministry of Justice, to every Governor and Director who signs off on a staffing schedule that leaves wings unattended — what are you going to do?
How many more suicides does it take before the people responsible for lying are removed from their posts? How many grieving families have to hear the same phrases — “appropriate care was provided,” “lessons have been learned” — while the same failures repeat, over and over again?
We inside know what’s really happening. And now, the public is beginning to know too.
Don’t let this become another ignored scandal. Don’t let “procedure” be a shield for neglect, dishonesty, and inaction. These aren’t just logbooks. These are people’s lives.
