Self-harm cases up 40% at prison for sex offenders

HMP Rye Hill on the border Northamptonshire and Warwickshire is a category B prison for sex offenders

A prison for male sex offenders has seen 40% rise in the number of self-harm incidents in inmates, according to its annual report.

HMP Rye Hill, on the Northamptonshire/Warwickshire border between Daventry and Rugby, is a category B prison, with more than 600 inmates, run by G4S.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) found the number of incidents of self-harm in the facility had risen from 246 to 343 in 2023-24.

G4S, which runs the prison, said in statement it was "committed to providing mental health support for all those that need it".

The report said the number of incidents of self-harm was pushed up by a "very small" number of men who repeatedly injured themselves, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In total, 205 prisoners were issued care plans used to support people at risk of self-harm and suicide, up from 129 last year.

HMP Rye Hill was near capacity, with only two spaces available, at the time of board's inspection

The IMB said the prison performed well in other areas, including continuing progress and improving outcomes for inmates.

Prisoner-led committees organised many additional enrichment and education events over the year to support a sense of community.

The board also noted that employment levels in the facility remained high, averaging 90% of the population.

Building work is under way on two new accommodation blocks to provide an additional 458 places, planned to open later this year.

The prison population at the end of the inspection was 662, two spaces short of maximum capacity.

Rye Hill IMB chair Pete Griffiths said the prison faced "internal and external challenges" but was "committed to changing lives for the better".

He praised its "making sense of a longer sentence", with inmates creating evidence packs to record their progression.

G4S said "individual management plans are put in place for those [in the prison] who require additional support".