Exeter Prison has recorded its lowest number of assaults in the past five years despite national figures at an all time high
Figures obtained by Legal Expert have revealed that the number of prisoner-on-prisoner and prison staff assaults at Exeter Prison is at its lowest in the past five years.
In June 2025, government research highlighted a worrying link between overcrowded conditions and increased violence in prisons, as offenders are nearly twenty per cent more likely to be involved in assaults in overpopulated jails.
Exeter Prison had a reported population of 301 inmates in 2024. The prison population in the UK has increased annually for the last thirty years, rising from 43,000 in 1994 to over 88,000 in 2024.
Despite this, the number of uniformed officers employed to care for and protect those committed by the Courts has remained almost static
In 2024/25, Exeter Prison recorded 100 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, representing a 43% decrease from a year earlier. The number of assaults on staff at the prison has dropped from 132 in 2021/22 to 45 in 2024/25, which is a 66% decrease.
Ministry of Justice statistics show that, in the past year, there were 10,568 assaults on prison staff and 20,570 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults - 7% and 9% increases on the previous year, respectively.
Resulting figures collated by the Institute for Government found that, in crowded accommodation, for each 10 additional prisoners per 1,000 prisoners, there was around 1 more prisoner-on-prisoner assault and around 1.5 more staff assaults.
Patrick Mallon, a solicitor at legal firm JF Law, said: "The alarming year-on-year rise in assaults in UK prisons is a stark reflection of a system under immense strain.
“With prison populations growing and a significant number of prisons now officially overcrowded, the Ministry of Justice is facing a growing crisis as this limited space creates an unstable environment where violence becomes increasingly common.”
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