State-involved deaths increase to five people per week in Scotland
Published: 15 October 2026
A new report has found more people are dying while in custody or in the care of the state in Scotland than in previous years.
A new report has found more people are dying while in custody or in the care of the state in Scotland than in previous years.
According to figures published by the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR), 261 people died in custody or while in state care in Scotland in 2025, up 6.5% from the 245 deaths recorded in 2024. That's five deaths on average per week in 2025; the majority are not subject to any public investigation.
It shows that deaths after police contact have more than doubled since 2024*, while deaths of care experienced children and young people have risen by more than a third.
The monitoring report, ‘Nothing to See Here? Deaths in Custody and their Investigation in Scotland 2025’, examined the numbers of people who have died while in police custody, prison, mental health detention, immigration detention and asylum accommodation and in care settings for looked after children and young people.
Of the 261 deaths recorded, 147 were people detained on mental health grounds, 51 occurred in prison, 34 followed police contact and a further three occurred while in police custody, 22 were care experienced children or young people and four people died while in accommodation provided for people in the asylum system. The number of inpatients with learning disabilities dying while living in hospital is currently unknown.
The latest rise in overall figures appears to be driven by deaths after police contact, which increased from 14 deaths in 2024 to 34 in 2025, and by deaths of looked after children and young people in after care services - 16 deaths in 2024, and 22 in 2025.
Professor Sarah Armstrong, University of Glasgow, who led the research project, described the latest figures as "appalling".
She said: “According to the data we've been able to obtain, there's been an overall increase in the number of people dying after police contact, as compared to 2024 figures, with a third of those being women, and a record number of people from ethnic minority groups.
“We were deeply concerned to see most deaths among care experienced young people were in after care services and eight were looked after children at ages where the most common causes of death are from suicide or drugs.
“It’s not just how many people are dying that's concerning, but it's also the fact we don't know who is dying or why. It is appalling to think that every week, five people in this country are dying while in the care of the state and for most of them, we know very little about who they are, the facts surrounding their deaths or whether lessons have been learned."
A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) is a fact-finding process led by a Sheriff. They are mandatory for deaths in legal custody, or if a child or young person dies while detained in secure accommodation, but most state involved deaths are not subject to an FAI.
Professor Armstrong said: "Families who have lost someone share two goals – that another family doesn’t have to go through what they did and if mistakes were made there will be accountability. But each year, we are seeing more deaths, more families with heartbreak and unanswered questions about what happened. Most deaths will never have a public investigation, contrary to human rights law. And when there is an FAI, there is no evidence they make a difference to preventing deaths."
The report also found prison deaths were down from previous years’ unprecedented high. In 2023 there were 40 prison deaths, 64 in 2024 and 51 in 2025.
Professor Armstrong said: "In the last decade our prison death rates have effectively doubled, and the suicide rate in Scottish prisons is now more than twice that of England and Wales."
There were also more FAI findings in prison deaths in 2025 than in the previous decade, mainly because of the joint inquiry held into the deaths of Katie Allan, William Lindsay (or Brown) and later Jack McKenzie who all died in HMPYOI Polmont by suicide.
Co-author of the report, Dr Betsy Barkas, University of Glasgow, said: "The continued occurrence of deaths in similar circumstances is alarming. Despite the landmark judgment in 2025 that made 25 recommendations following the tragic deaths of Katie Allan and William Lindsay, yet another young person, Daniel Kerr, died in Polmont earlier this year. This raises serious questions about whether the Scottish Prison Service has acted with sufficient urgency on the evidence and recommendations already before it."
The research team also found FAIs are taking longer too with the average inquiry taking four years from death to written determination – an increase of 18 months from 2024.
Dr Barkas commented: "Behind every statistic is a family living with the devastating loss of a loved one. FAIs are taking longer than ever, and the average family now waits four years to hear what happened to their loved one. These prolonged delays leave families without answers and deepen the trauma of bereavement, while also undermining the possibility to prevent more similar deaths."
*Last year the research team reported 244 deaths in custody. Since then, some agencies updated their figures so the most accurate number for deaths in 2024 is 245, at the time of writing.
First published: 15 October 2026