Assaults, Self-Harm, and the Allocation of State Resources in English and Welsh Prisons, 2009-2010 to 2024-2025

Nasrul Ismail

No gy8vz_v1, SocArXiv from Center for Open Science

Abstract: Routine prison allocation in England and Wales is based on staffing, occupancy and regime, but does not incorporate assaults or self-harm. Using 1,727 public-sector establishment-years of Ministry of Justice expenditure and safety data from 2009-2010 to 2024-2025, this article examines whether deteriorating conditions were followed by changes in expenditure. Real expenditure per place fell 28.7 per cent by 2016-2017 before recovering, while prisons retained their relative positions. Higher assault rates were associated with increased expenditure in the following year before 2019-2020, but not thereafter; the interaction test did not establish a change between periods. Self-harm showed no statistically detectable association with subsequent expenditure in either period. Routine allocation continued throughout, but did not consistently respond to deteriorating safety conditions.

Date: 2026-10-06
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:osf:socarx:gy8vz_v1

DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/gy8vz_v1

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