Harris

Commissioned by then-Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, the Harris Review was triggered by a sustained rise in suicides among young adults in the prison estate. The review was groundbreaking for its focus on maturity as a biological and psychological concept. It argued that the "cliff edge" at age 18—where a young person moves from the highly supported youth estate to the adult prison system—was a major factor in the distress leading to self-harm and suicide.

The report described a prison system in crisis. It highlighted that 18–24 year olds often have the highest levels of need but receive the least support. Lord Harris and his panel found that the ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork) process—the primary tool for managing suicide risk—was often treated as a "paper-ticking exercise" rather than a genuine therapeutic intervention. The review was also highly critical of "benchmarking" (staffing cuts), stating that there were simply not enough officers on wings to build the relationships necessary to spot when a young person was in trouble.

A central theme of the review was "purposeful activity." It found that many young adults were being "warehoused," spending up to 22 hours a day locked in their cells with no access to education or exercise. This isolation, combined with the loss of contact with families, created a "downward spiral" of despair. The report’s most radical proposal was the creation of a new specialist role, the Custody and Rehabilitation Officer (CARO), who would have a social work or youth work background and a small caseload to ensure every young adult was mentored through their sentence.

The government’s response in December 2015 was controversial. While it accepted many of the technical recommendations, it rejected 33 of the most fundamental proposals, including the CARO role and the suggestion that the Minister for Prisons should personally phone the families of those who die in custody. Critics and campaigners, including the charity INQUEST, described the response as "complacent," arguing that the government had missed a vital opportunity to overhaul a failing system.