A Guardian investigation has found that deaths within two weeks of leaving prison in England and Wales hit a record high last year.
The newspaper reported that 77 people died within 14 days of release in 2025. That was a 28 per cent rise on the previous year’s 60 deaths, and the highest figure since records began in 2021.
A major cause appeared to be the growing number of prisoners released homeless because of a lack of housing.
The Guardian analysed reports from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO). These pointed to a quarter of those who died within a fortnight of release having left prison homeless.
Figures from the Ministry of Justice tell a similar story. Nearly 13,000 people were homeless on leaving prison in the 12 months to April 2025. That marked a rise of 39 per cent on the year before.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the social justice charity Nacro, told The Guardian the deaths were a “hidden tragedy”. He said people who died after leaving prison often went unnoticed, and that the deaths were avoidable.
Mr Solomon said people should not regard such deaths as inevitable. “We see every day the difference having somewhere safe and secure to live, and the right support, can make to someone and how it can be a matter of life or death, tragically,” he said.
The PPO has investigated deaths in custody independently since 2004. In September 2021 its remit expanded to cover deaths within 14 days of a person’s release.
The figure for people released homeless before they died is probably an underestimate. More than 100 reports remain under investigation. In total, there have been 308 recorded deaths within 14 days of release since September 2021.
Ministry of Justice data also shows a surge in recalls to custody of people on licence. A quarter of recalls were for a “failure to reside”, meaning the person was not living at an approved address.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told The Guardian: “We know those leaving custody with no onward home are more vulnerable, which is why we provide up to 12 weeks of accommodation on release. We also work closely with councils, charities and employers to secure stable housing and jobs for prison leavers, cutting reoffending and helping them rebuild their lives.”
