Deaths in Custody in Britain and Australia1

Abstract

Abstract: An examination of the available evidence relating to deaths in prison and police custody for Britain and for Australia reveals that the Australian prison crude death rate is twice as high as the equivalent rate for England and Wales. There were equal proportions of suicides in both groups, but the prison deaths from England and Wales were much more likely to be among remandees than was the case in Australia. The Scottish prison death rate was found to be slightly higher than that of England and Wales, but also much lower than the Australian rate. A comparison of the rates of death in police custody also produced interesting differences with the Scottish rate being the highest. This was followed by Australia, with England and Wales again being found to have the lowest rate. A closer examination of the data for England and Wales and Australia revealed that a higher proportion of the Australian deaths in police custody was self‐inflicted and that proportionately many more of the British deaths in police custody occurred in hospitals rather than in police stations. An examination of the figures for each year showed that 1987 was a particularly bad year for prison suicides in both countries. There were also higher than expected numbers of other deaths in custody in 1987 in Australia, but this pattern was not reflected in the British data of deaths in police custody. Possible explanations for these findings are considered together with their implications for reducing deaths in custody.