FOI reference: FOI-2026-3398
You asked
Please would you provide the following from January 2020 to present:
Total number of deaths in UK prisons caused by withdrawal symptoms (including withdrawal from medications)
Total number of deaths in UK prisons wherein withdrawal was listed as a potential contributory factor (including withdrawal from medications)
If there is additional data linked to these statistics, please provide as much as is possible within the time restraints of FOI protocol. For example please include information from internal documents, reports and email threads.
We said
Thank you for your request.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) routinely publish statistics on deaths occurring in prison custody and may be able to provide you with the additional information you require. They can be contacted for further information at: OMSQ-SiC-publications@justice.gov.uk.
We are not able to confirm whether the MoJ holds data covering all causes of death. If they do not hold comprehensive information of this nature, we can consider how we can best fulfil your request with the limited information we hold.
We are responsible for the production of mortality statistics for England and Wales. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. They can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk and info@nisra.gov.uk respectively.
Our mortality statistics are compiled from information recorded at the time of death registration. These data are derived from details supplied by the informant registering the death, alongside information contained within the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD).
While we are able to identify certain deaths that occur within prison custody by the specific causes you are interested in, it is not possible to identify all such cases; consequently, the figures we hold are likely to represent an undercount. This limitation arises because the address recorded at registration is provided by the informant. In some instances, the informant may give the address of the prison, whereas in other cases the deceased's last residential address is supplied. As a result, we are unable to reliably identify all deaths that took place while the individual was in prison custody.
Special extracts and tabulations of mortality data for England and Wales are available to order, subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs. Such enquiries can be made to Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.