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<p /> <p>Every death in custody is a tragedy, and the Government is committed to reducing
the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons.</p><p> </p><p>All prisons are required
to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk
of harm to themselves. Building on this, the National Offender Management Service
(NOMS) has put in place additional resources for safer custody work in prisons and
at regional level. These staff support safer custody work in prisons and share good
practice across establishments. NOMS will be conducting a review of the operation
of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork system (the case management process
for prisoners assessed as being at risk) in 2015.</p><p> </p><p>Young adults are a
particularly challenging and vulnerable group, and that is why we have commissioned
an independent review into the deaths of 18 to 24-year-olds in prison custody. This
review will report in the Spring.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to explore the reasons
for the recent increase in the number of self-inflicted deaths, but there is no simple
explanation for it. Strenuous efforts are made to learn from every self-inflicted
death, and we have accepted and acted on the vast majority of recommendations from
recent investigations by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.</p>
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