'37% rise' of inmates self-harming

The Howard League for Penal Reform said the number of prisoners deliberately injuring themselves had risen at four times the rate of the jail population increase.

In 2003 there were 16,393 incidents of self harm in prisons in England and Wales but last year the number had risen to 22,459 incidents, the charity said.

It amounted to a 37% increase - almost four times the 9.5% rise in the prison population for the same period, the Howard League added.

The Ministry of Justice said the rise was due to new systems being put in place, which meant incidents were more accurately recorded.

Director Frances Crook said: "When men, women and children in jail cut themselves and otherwise assault their own bodies, it is not a cry for help. It is a scream."

She added: "This shocking rise in self injury is far above what might be expected as we lock up ever increasing numbers of men, women and children whose mental health problems and addictions will never be properly treated within our flooded and failing jails.

"Warehoused temporarily in prison, many individuals are then released only to reoffend and be returned to custody. Rotting in the chaos and squalor of overcrowded prisons simply serves to exacerbate problems and will most likely to lead to more serious and frequent reoffending on release."

Self injury rates among women inmates have risen even more dramatically, with a 48% increase in recorded incidents between 2003 and 2007, the Howard League said.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The significant increase in the number of prisoner self-harm incidents can be attributed to the introduction of a much more thorough and robust reporting system. This led establishments to become more effective at reporting, leading to a marked increase in self-harm incidents between then and the present."