Nearly 50 deaths in UK prison segregation spark calls for reform
Almost 50 inmates have died while confined in segregation units across England and Wales in the past decade, prompting families and watchdogs to demand an end to the practice.
Freedom-of-information data show that 49 prisoners died in segregation units in England and Wales between 2015 and 2025, with 12 deaths recorded in 2024 alone. One case involved Matthew Osborne, who took his own life after 54 days of near-total isolation, receiving only three minutes of human contact in a three-day span. An inquest found the prison falsified monitoring records and that staff were distracted by a football broadcast at the time of his death.
Prison and probation ombudsman Adrian Usher warned that many of the recent deaths could have been prevented and should only occur in truly exceptional circumstances. The charity Inquest and Osborne's family are calling for the practice to be phased out and for greater transparency on how segregation is applied.
Why it matters
The rising death toll in prison segregation highlights systemic failures that endanger vulnerable inmates and demand urgent policy review.
In this story
