The number of people dying within two weeks of release from prison in England and Wales has reached a record high, with 77 deaths recorded in 2025 – a 28% rise on the 60 deaths the previous year, according to a Guardian investigation.
Experts say rising homelessness among released prisoners is a primary driver of the crisis. Analysis of Prisons and Probation Ombudsman reports found that one in four people who died were released homeless, while Ministry of Justice data showed almost 13,000 people left prison homeless or as rough sleepers in the year to April 2025, a 39% increase.
Among the cases was Robert Barraclough, who died the day after being released from HMP Nottingham after telling staff he feared having to sleep in a tent. Darren Docherty, who had a history of mental ill health, died six days after release from HMP Stoke Heath, having been turned down for emergency accommodation.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the social justice charity Nacro, described the deaths as a “hidden tragedy” and said they were avoidable. He pointed to shortages of social and supported housing, and the inaccessibility of the private rented sector, as key factors leaving former prisoners with nowhere to go.
Pavan Dhaliwal of Revolving Doors said secure housing was essential to rehabilitation, adding: “Prisons are already overcrowded and then you’re sending people back because they don’t have accommodation. It is absurd.” The comments come as recalls to prison reached a record high of 14,349 in the last quarter, with a quarter for “failure to reside”.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has recorded 308 deaths within 14 days of release since it began investigating such cases in September 2021. The charity Revolving Doors is working with Stephen, 31, who has been imprisoned dozens of times, often for not living at an approved address.
