Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody
The Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody aims to bring about a continuing and sustained reduction in the number and rate of deaths in all forms of state custody in England and Wales.
Role of the Board
The purpose of the Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody (MBDC) is to bring about a continuing and sustained reduction in the number and rate of deaths in all forms of state custody in England and Wales. This covers deaths which occur in prisons, in or following police custody, immigration detention, the deaths of residents of approved premises and the deaths of those detained under the Mental Health Act (MHA). The principles and lessons learned as part of this work will also apply to the deaths of those detained under the Mental Capacity Act in hospital.
The MBDC forms one tier of the Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody, which originates from the recommendations of Robert Fulton’s Review of the Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody (2008). The second tier of the Council is the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) and the third is the Practitioner and Stakeholder Group (PSG).
Current membership
Ministerial co-chairs:
- Prisons Minister, Ministry of Justice
- Patient Safety and Mental Health Minister, Department of Health and Social Care
- Crime and Policing Minister, Home Office
Department co-sponsors:
- Deputy Director, Prison Policy, Ministry of Justice
- Deputy Director, Mental Health and Offender Health, Department of Health and Social Care
- Deputy Head, Police Powers Unit, Home Office
- Head of Detention and Escorting Services, Home Office
Member organisations:
- HM Prison and Probation Service
- NHS England and NHS Improvement
- Youth Justice Board
- National Police Chiefs’ Council
- Association of Police and Crime Commissioners
- Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody
- HM Inspectorate of Prisons
- Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
- Independent Monitoring Boards
- Care Quality Commission
- Independent Office for Police Conduct
- HM Inspectorate of Probation
- HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services
- Chief Coroner of England and Wales
- Independent Custody Visitors Association
- Lay Observers
- Prison Reform Trust
- Howard League for Penal Reform
- INQUEST
- Samaritans
Board priorities
The Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody focuses on three priority areas agreed by its membership each year, which are used to guide the delivery of the workplan. The Board’s priority areas for 2023/24 are:
- Treatment and care – Ensure systems work together effectively to prevent decline in physical and mental health among people in custody and provide safe and therapeutic care when treatment is required.
- Investigations and learning – Improve local and central post-death processes to ensure lessons are identified and embedded.
- Risk and forward planning – Ensure departments and agencies are anticipating risk, trends and areas of concern, and continuing to enhance data sources and the evidence base.
Meetings
Full meetings of the Board are held twice a year with an alternating Ministerial chair. Each 12-month cycle focuses on the delivery of a workplan shaped by the Ministerial co-chairs, co-sponsors and IAPDC.
Minutes
Previous minutes can be viewed on the website of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody.