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Ombudsman criticises HMP Garth over failings after prisoner’s suicide
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found the prison took five days to tell Simon Dunn’s next of kin of his death and did not explore his risk factors well enough.
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
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HMP Exeter told the wrong mother her son was dying, ombudsman finds
A Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report into the death of Michael Marsh found the Governor first broke the news to the mother of another prisoner with the same name, and raised concerns about his suicide monitoring.
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Deaths within two weeks of leaving prison reached a record high in 2025
An analysis by The Guardian found that 77 people died within 14 days of release from prison in England and Wales last year, with homelessness on release a major factor.
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Staff missed required checks on high-risk prisoner at HMP Hewell, ombudsman finds
Mesut Olgun met the criteria for constant supervision when he arrived at the prison in 2018, but staff placed him on four checks an hour, and a night patrol officer failed to make them.
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Ombudsman says Wandsworth prisoner’s death was “absolutely foreseeable”
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found that police, an escort contractor and HMP Wandsworth all missed warnings that Waleed Ali was at risk of suicide.
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Boy, 16, dies after being found unresponsive at Feltham young offender institution
Police are treating the death of a 16-year-old held at Feltham A as unexpected. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will carry out a full investigation, and a post-mortem examination will take place.
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Ombudsman warns over deaths of at-risk prisoners in segregation units
Eight of the 14 prisoners who died in segregation units between April 2024 and December 2025 were on suicide and self-harm monitoring, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has found.
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Ombudsman finds failings at two prisons before men took their own lives
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Adrian Usher, has criticised the care given to two men in distress at HMP Leeds and HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
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Gartree did not renew dying prisoner’s compassionate release bid, Ombudsman finds
Michael Tate died in a hospice while still a prisoner after HMP Gartree failed to resubmit his application for early release on compassionate grounds.
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Ombudsman criticises healthcare given to ailing prisoner before his death at HMP Ranby
Christopher Walton, 67, did not receive treatment of the standard expected in the community before he died in February 2025, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found.