Recurring concern
Unreliable safety risk assessments for prisoners
- Reports that mention this concern
- 10
- Times this concern has been raised
- 10
- Stated actions linked to this concern
- 11
What this concern includes
Includes failures in prisoner safety-risk assessment processes, including incomplete or omitted assessments, reliance on a prisoner's presentation or interview instead of relevant collateral information, failure to consider known risk factors, and assessment practices that depart from appropriate prisoner-safety standards.
What is not included
- Excludes mental-health-specific risk assessments where mental health risk assessment is the more specific supported concern.
- Excludes named systems or pathways such as ACCT, multidisciplinary high-risk-prisoner reviews or custody observation where those systems provide the more specific boundary.
- Excludes generic prison staffing, training, documentation or communication deficiencies unless they directly make a prisoner safety-risk assessment unreliable.
- Excludes non-prison risk assessments and assessments concerning only physical equipment, premises or public-road hazards.
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Reports and published responses 10 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
-
Concerns raised1
Lack of assessment of Spice-related risks in cell-sharing decisions
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- HM Prison and Probation Service
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Require prisons to quality-assure CSRA assessments and cell allocations through sampling, escalation, rechecks, and management oversight.
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Incorporate CSRA checks into LTHSE safety assurance visits, including sample reviews, escalation, rechecks, and targeted support for assurance gaps.
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Strengthen First Night Centre assessments to identify and promptly share current risks for people entering custody.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Available evidence indicates secondary exposure to psychoactive substances is highly unlikely to cause adverse effects or currently pose a risk to cellmates.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to assess risk on reception and after transfer
This report raised 19 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to undertake risk assessments of prisoners before sentencing
This report raised 14 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to conduct risk assessments for individual prisoners
This report raised 10 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
-
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Review SystmOne use with partner agencies and develop a multi-agency protocol for risk communication and medicines optimisation.
-
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Use a daily Open ACCT Log and morning briefing to identify open ACCTs, arrange assessments and ensure mental-health attendance at reviews.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to undertake assessments in the way recommended for prisoner safety
This report raised 10 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to assess drug use during prison triage
This report raised 15 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- Care UK
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
-
Care UK
Concerns 2, 3 and 4 relate to BEH-MHT services rather than the services addressed by this response.
-
Concerns raised1
Over-reliance on prisoners’ accounts instead of previous recorded risk factors
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
- Glen Parva Young Offender Institution
- Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
-
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Implement a robust clinical-information process with documented responsibilities, follow-up, escalation and senior risk-system scrutiny for obtaining prisoners’ clinical notes.
-
Glen Parva Young Offender Institution
Implement the Safer Prisons recording procedure and train reception and healthcare staff to document risk information and decisions in O-Nomis and SystmOne.
-
Glen Parva Young Offender Institution
Remind staff to open an ACCT whenever information indicates suicide or self-harm risk, even when the prisoner does not appear at risk.
-
Glen Parva Young Offender Institution
Remind case managers to consider comprehensive dynamic and static risk information during individual case reviews.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to use trigger-date information to prompt risk reassessment for prisoners outside the ACCT process
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
-
Concerns raised1
Failure of dynamic assessments to account for the need for prisoner restraint
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
- HM Prison and Probation Service
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Apply an individual, audit-compliant escort risk assessment to determine restraint use, including reassessment following medical advice.
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Provide escort and duty managers with emergency-escort advice and guidance, and review restraint decisions at operational meetings.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
-
HM Prison and Probation Service
Existing individual escort risk assessments, guidance and operational reviews are considered sufficient to determine whether prisoners require restraints.
-
Concerns raised1
Reliance on prisoner interview instead of balanced assessment of all known risk factors
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Data last updated 7 September 2026