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<br /><p>Every death in custody is a tragedy and we are committed to reducing the
number of deaths in prisons.</p><br /><p>Summary statistics on deaths in prison custody
by apparent cause are published quarterly, and the latest annual figures, for the
ten years to September 2015, can be found in Table 2 of the Safety in Custody statistics
bulletin available at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472712/Safety-in-custody-summary-q2-2015.xls"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472712/Safety-in-custody-summary-q2-2015.xls</a></p><br
/> <br /><p>Figures on the number of deaths caused by the use of “legal highs”, or
new psychoactive substances, are not held centrally. All deaths in prison custody
are subject to a coroner’s inquest, and it is the responsibility of the coroner to
determine the cause of death. The NOMS system for classifying deaths provides a provisional
classification for administrative and statistical purposes. The final classifications
are determined at inquest.</p><br /> <br />
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