Segregation may raise self-harm risk for prisoners who ‘dual harm’, research finds
Restricting or segregating prisoners after violent incidents may unintentionally make self-harm more likely, according to research from Nottingham Trent University.
Karen Slade, Professor of Applied Forensic Psychology at the university, carried out the work. It looks at ‘dual harm’, where a person poses a risk both of self-harm and of violence towards others.
Dual harm is a common issue in prisons. Prisoners may use it to cope with an unpredictable and extreme environment. It can also serve to protect themselves and others, both emotionally and physically.
Prof Slade set out her findings in Manchester in July 2026. She spoke at the yearly conference of the Division of Forensic Psychology, part of the British Psychological Society. She said that when prisoners lose the opportunity for violence towards others, self-harm may rise. In effect, one behaviour compensates for the absence of the other.
HM Prison and Probation Service already seeks to limit this risk. Its Safety Policy Framework states: “The use of segregation conditions for prisoners receiving support through ACCT [the suicide and self-harm risk management system] is only defensible in exceptional circumstances.”
Even so, people who dual harm in prison spend, on average, one day in six on restriction. That is 2.4 times as much as people who are violent only towards others.
Their access to education suffers as a result. Research in the US found that reading scores improved among all groups except people who engaged in dual harm.
Prof Slade concluded that prisons should use segregation or restriction only as a last resort for people who dual harm.
HMP Isle of Wight prisoner jailed for further 18 weeks for attack on officer
A prisoner at HMP Isle of Wight will spend longer in jail after a violent attack on a prison officer. His sentence was already due to run until 2033.
On 17 July the 29-year-old appeared by video link at Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court. He pleaded guilty to assault by beating, an offence committed on 9 April.
He was walking under escort from an exercise yard back to his cell when he suddenly ran off along a narrow stretch of corridor. He ignored orders to stop and carried on into a kitchen area.
There he jumped over a hotplate and attacked a prison officer. He punched the officer in the face repeatedly and stamped on him. Other officers then stepped in and pulled him away.
The officer suffered two black eyes and a cut to the head.
Paul Morris, defending, said that his client apologised for his behaviour. He said the man accepted that, as a long-serving prisoner, he “needed to better regulate his anger and emotions”.
Attacks inside prison had already led to an extension of his sentence. Magistrates took into account his record of similar offending.
They imposed a further 18 weeks’ imprisonment, to run consecutively to his current sentence. He must also pay a £154 surcharge when he is eventually released.
HMP Isle of Wight is a category B reception prison for men in the South East. At its most recent full inspection before this case, in June 2026, inspectors judged safety, respect and purposeful activity not sufficiently good. They rated preparation for release as reasonably good.
Man charged with murder after death of prisoner at HMP Altcourse
A prisoner at HMP Altcourse faces a murder charge after the death of a fellow inmate.
Raymond McEntee, 68, was found dead at the prison early on 18 July. A murder charge against a 54-year-old man followed on 30 July.
Merseyside Police circulated a statement from Mr McEntee’s family. They said he was born in Crossmaglen, Northern Ireland, and lived there until his early teens. He later moved to England and the Isle of Man, where he worked as a plasterer. He married and had two children, Sharon and Shaun, whom his family said he loved dearly.
Writing to him as a brother, the family described a bond that never needed constant explanation or reassurance. They said it had lasted however much time passed and however far life took them.
“Although you are no longer here that bond will never disappear from our lives,” they wrote.
The family said they were grateful for the years they had shared. “This connection we forged through brotherhood and fatherhood will continue to guide us to value family, trust, and lifelong commitments,” they said. “Until we meet again, your loving family.”
At the family’s request, the force also released a photograph of Mr McEntee.
HMP Altcourse is a category B reception prison for men in the North West.
Human rights watchdog urges Scotland’s new Justice Secretary to act on prison conditions
Scotland’s human rights body has raised serious concerns about the country’s prisons and secure care settings. It has taken them to the new Justice Secretary.
The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) set out its concerns in a letter to Neil Gray, who was newly in post.
The letter follows a report by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT). The committee visited Scotland in June 2025. Its report afterwards highlighted serious concerns.
It was the CPT’s third visit to Scotland in seven years. On its return, the committee found conditions in prisons and secure care that echoed earlier warnings. Bodies including the SHRC had repeatedly made those warnings over more than a decade.
The commission’s letter lists five areas of concern. The first is overcrowding. The others are restraint of children in secure care, deaths in custody, a shortage of medical staff, and people locked in their cells for 23 hours a day.
International human rights bodies made recommendations to Scotland over 10 years. According to the CPT, 83 per cent of them had seen little or no meaningful progress.
Professor Angela O’Hagan chairs the SHRC. She said the committee kept returning to Scotland and raising the same concerns.
“Behind these report findings are people in the total control of the State, relying on it to meet their most basic human rights,” she said.
She added that the commission had produced evidence in 2024 on the same point. It showed that 83 per cent of recommendations from international human rights bodies remained unaddressed.
“This visit shows why that matters and warm words on human rights must be matched by urgent, concrete action,” she said. “The Scottish Government must now move from acceptance to action.”
Reading approved premises for women scores top marks from probation inspectors
A women-only approved premises in Reading has become the first to receive the top rating in every area from HM Inspectorate of Probation.
Inspectors visited the Elizabeth Fry Approved Premises (AP) in July. They scored it 15 out of 15 against their inspection standards and rated it outstanding in all areas.
No AP has received a higher mark since the inspectorate began inspecting approved premises in September 2025.
Martin Jones, the Chief Inspector of Probation, praised the service. “Elizabeth Fry AP is a truly exceptional service which delivers high-quality support to women in the criminal justice system,” he said. “Residents are supported by staff who understand their needs and prepare them well for life in the community.”
Relationships between staff and residents impressed the inspection team. Inspectors found that staff had a strong understanding of how to work with women in the criminal justice system.
Training helped build that understanding. Staff had received training in trauma-informed practice, domestic abuse and self-harm, among other areas.
The AP also had strong links with local agencies. These included voluntary and community organisations that helped residents with their rehabilitation.
Through these partnerships, residents could get help with housing, employment and social reintegration. The aim was to help them build skills and get ready to live in the community.
Mr Jones said the AP had achieved the highest score possible under the inspectorate’s framework. He described the rating as a significant achievement.
“I commend the leadership team and staff for their dedication and the high standards they have achieved,” he said.
He noted that this was the first time inspectors had awarded such a rating since the approved premises inspection programme began last year.
Prisoner sentenced for wounding officer in unprovoked attack at HMP Five Wells
A prisoner who carried out an unprovoked attack on a prison custody officer at HMP Five Wells has received a sentence of six years and six months. The court added an extension period of two years and six months.
His trial at Northampton Crown Court lasted six days. The jury reached a unanimous verdict that he was guilty of wounding with intent. It found him not guilty of attempted murder.
The attack took place on 11 March last year. CCTV showed the man following the officer across the wing and then hitting him several times on the head and neck. Other prisoners restrained him.
The officer, who is in his 30s, suffered head and neck injuries.
Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands led the police investigation. The inquiry established no political or terrorist motive.
Det Insp Kieron Pearl of the unit led the inquiry. He described the attack as an extremely serious incident that left the victim with significant injuries.
He said the defendant had tried to deny that he meant to cause serious harm. The evidence in court, however, clearly showed what had happened, he said. He welcomed the conviction. He hoped it would offer reassurance that violent offending in prisons would face robust investigation and prosecution.
At the time of the attack, the man was already serving a sentence of five years and three months. He had been due for release in March 2026. Instead he stayed in prison to await his trial.
HMP Five Wells is a category C prison for men in the East Midlands. At its most recent full inspection, in August 2026, inspectors rated safety and respect as reasonably good. They judged purposeful activity and preparation for release to be not sufficiently good.
Smethwick canal scheme puts people on unpaid work instead of in prison
A project in the West Midlands is offering an alternative to custody while prisons remain overcrowded and arguments continue over early releases.
The Guardian has reported on the scheme in Smethwick. People with convictions work to improve waterways and green spaces in the area instead of going to prison. The project is a small part of community payback, which operates across England and Wales.
Community payback deals with a wide range of adult offending. Courts can attach it to suspended sentences, ordering anything from 40 to 300 hours of work.
The Sentencing Act gained royal assent earlier in 2026. It creates a presumption that courts will suspend short custodial sentences of 12 months. As a result, more offenders will serve their punishment in the community.
In Smethwick, the work continued through the recent hot weather. Participants have strimmed and cut back plants. They have also cleared litter from the canal and its towpath.
One participant told the newspaper that he enjoyed the work. He said it gave him “knowledge of life and other people”. He added that he and his wife now pick up litter in their own street.
Mo Ghafoor supervises the Smethwick project. He worked as a corporate banker before taking on the role.
He told The Guardian that the job was “100 per cent more fulfilling” than his old career. In banking he helped businesses make a profit, but he was only a voice on the phone, he said. Now he makes a difference at the heart of his own community.
Mr Ghafoor said the work helped his own mental health. He said it also helped other people, the community and individuals.
People sentenced to unpaid work can carry out other tasks too. These include removing graffiti, decorating public places and buildings, and planting trees.
HMP Fosse Way officer jailed for eight months over relationship with prisoner
An HMP Fosse Way officer has received an eight-month prison sentence after starting a relationship with a prisoner. She had sent him sexually explicit photos on Snapchat.
The woman is now 21 but was 19 when she committed the offences. The family of the prisoner also paid her thousands of pounds. He was serving a sentence for drug offences.
She had earlier admitted two counts of misconduct in public office, entering her pleas in March. She also admitted transmitting an image and sound from a prison without authority.
The officer and the prisoner made more than 5,000 contacts on Snapchat while he was at Fosse Way in 2024.
Between 18 March and 2 July 2024, his 53-year-old mother made five payments to the officer, worth £1,495 in total. Over the same period his 20-year-old sister sent her 18 payments totalling £4,665.
At Leicester Crown Court, her advocate said she had shown “significant levels of naivety and immaturity”. He said she had been “well in over her head”. She had served as a prison officer for only four months when she took charge of 64 prisoners, he added.
Judge Timothy Spencer KC passed sentence. He said he suspected that she was “lonely and vulnerable”. He told her that the prisoner had found her to be easy prey.
The court gave the prisoner’s mother a four-month suspended sentence. His sister received a 12-month suspended sentence.
The prisoner faced no charge because he is back in Latvia.
HMP Fosse Way is a category C prison for men in the East Midlands. Its last full inspection before the case took place in June 2025. Inspectors judged safety to be not sufficiently good. They rated respect, purposeful activity and preparation for release as reasonably good.
Prisoner at North Sea Camp admits sexual communication with 13-year-old girl
A 37-year-old prisoner used an illicit mobile phone to hold sexualised conversations with a 13-year-old girl, a court has heard.
He was at North Sea Camp open prison when he sent the messages. He admitted four charges, dating back to 2024, when he appeared at Boston Magistrates’ Court in June.
He pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child, making indecent photographs of a child and having a mobile phone in prison. He also admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order by communicating with a child. Leicester Crown Court imposed the order in 2011.
The court heard that a fellow prisoner found the phone. It held messages on a teen chat app, including one that read: “Do you love me?” The phone also contained 47 indecent images. The prosecution said he had been told the girl’s age.
In a statement, the girl’s mother said her daughter needed counselling after the conversations. She said the messages had “lured her to very dark places” and had damaged her confidence. The court heard that the girl needed professional help.
Recorder Adrian Reynolds adjourned the case and asked for a report on the defendant’s prison history and the risk he poses to the public. He told the court he lacked enough information about the man’s previous convictions and had no up-to-date risk assessment.
The man is due to be sentenced in October.
Prisoner jailed for 16 months for spitting urine and faeces at officer at HMP Manchester
A prisoner has received a further 16-month jail term for spitting a mix of urine and faeces at a female prison officer.
The 39-year-old man admitted one count of administering a poison or noxious substance.
The officer was on duty on the healthcare wing of HMP Manchester on 15 August 2024. The man was reportedly staging a ‘dirty protest’ at the time.
She was talking to a colleague when she stepped in front of his cell. At once she felt a ‘spray of liquid’ hit her face. She could smell urine and faeces and found herself covered in a ‘thick brown liquid’. Some of it went into her mouth.
In a plea agreement that prosecutors accepted, the man said he had spat the substance at the officer from his mouth.
Afterwards, the officer was reportedly “completely shaken up” and “very emotional”.
Police questioned the man in November last year. He first denied responsibility but later pleaded guilty. He has previous convictions, and was in prison at the time for breaching the conditions of an earlier licence.
The court heard that he had shown remorse, which the Probation Service accepted as genuine. He reportedly accepted “how disgusting an act it was”.
Judge Alan Conrad KC said the man’s actions showed he was “clearly mentally unwell at the time”. Time he had spent on remand would count towards the sentence, the judge said.
He added: “Prison officers put themselves at risk dealing with difficult situations. They should not have to be subjected to this”.
HMP Manchester is a high-security prison for men in the North West. At its last full inspection, in April 2026, inspectors rated safety and purposeful activity as poor. They judged respect not sufficiently good and preparation for release reasonably good.
Two men charged with attempted murder over attack at HMP Belmarsh
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has charged two men with attempted murder. They also face other charges. The case relates to an attack on a prisoner at HMP Belmarsh on 1 January 2025.
One defendant is 47 and the other 39. Both were due to make a first appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 26 August.
Daren Streeter confirmed the CPS decision to prosecute. He is Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor at CPS London. Prosecutors had worked closely with the Metropolitan Police, he said. Together they had established that there was enough evidence to take the case to court.
Mr Streeter reminded everyone concerned that proceedings were active. He said: “they have the right to a fair trial”.
HMP Belmarsh is a men’s reception prison in London.
