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Articles by Lynn Emslie
Keeping Safe: Farewell - with hope for the future
As my term as Chair of the IAPDC comes to an end in February 2026, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on the conversations we’ve had and the issues you’ve raised over the past years. It has been an honour to serve in this role and to hear directly from so many of you about your experiences. Your letters and insights have shaped our work and strengthened our commitment to drive meaningful change. Throughout my time as Chair, several themes have consistently emerged.
Keeping Safe: Inside the walls: why prison conditions matter
When people talk about rehabilitation, the focus is often on education, programmes, or support services. But safety – and the condition of the prison itself – are just as critical. The walls, showers, heating, and communal spaces also play a major role in shaping your daily life, your mental health, and your chances of moving forward. Many prisons across the country are in poor condition. Broken showers, freezing cells, infestations, and overcrowding are common.
Behind the numbers: how overcrowding can impact people in prison
I want to take this opportunity to share with you some of the work my Panel and I have been doing in recent months. Many of you have written to me about your experiences and the challenges you have faced in prison. Your letters have informed our thinking and strengthened our commitment to push for meaningful change. Last month, we published a report that explores how crowded prisons can affect people’s health and safety.
Strengthening connections and continuity of healthcare
The strong response to my last article on the Mental Health Bill and the urgent need for reform in prison mental health care has made me think even more about wellbeing in prisons. Mental health does not exist in isolation – it is deeply connected to our relationships, our sense of purpose, and the continuity of care and support we receive both inside and outside prison walls. In prison, these factors are often fragile or disrupted.
Supporting people in prison with drug misuse issues
Drug misuse is a growing crisis in our prisons. The latest data from the Ministry of Justice shows that around half of all people in prison have a drug misuse habit. Sadly, 2024 saw an alarming number of drug-related deaths in prison, with many of these deaths taking place at HMP Parc. This highlights the scale of the challenge across the prison estate.
Why we must ensure early release doesn’t lead to more people back in prison
As many of you will know, the Government’s early release scheme – known as SDS40 – came into force last month to help manage the ongoing population challenges across the prison estate. I know how disruptive custodial sentences can be to continuity of care, housing, work, and family ties – particularly for those of you serving short sentences. And I understand that those of you preparing for release might be feeling anxious about leaving prison.
New Prisons Minister brings opportunities for change
Following last month’s general election and change in government, James Timpson OBE has been appointed as the new Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation. My Panel colleagues and I congratulate Minister Timpson on his appointment and wholly welcome his commitment to prison reform and helping ex-offenders reintegrate into society.
Receiving the right care in the right place at the right time
Everyone deserves consistent, high-quality care and support – and that is no less true for people in prison. But people in prison are too often facing long delays to receiving the mental health care and treatment they need. A report published earlier this year by the Chief Inspector of Prisons found that unwell men and women “linger” in prisons for weeks, often months, and sometimes over a year whilst they wait to be transferred to a mental health hospital.
What are your priorities for keeping prisoners safe?
As some of you may know, I chair the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) where I am joined by four other independent experts. We give advice and recommendations to the government and operational leaders on how to keep people in custody safe. Earlier this year, we published our workplan for 2024/25 which sets out our priority areas of focus to help prevent the tragic loss of life in prison and other places of detention.
Prisons must learn from ligature risk reduction in other detention settings
Over the past few months, I have been talking with Governors to better understand the challenges they face and to share good practice to keep people in prison safe. A topic of discussion at a recent meeting I attended was the rollout of ligature-free cells, which was widely seen as a positive way to improve safety. We know from other places of detention that the removal of ligature points has led to a significant reduction in self-inflicted deaths.
Influencing the new national suicide prevention strategy
Some of you may remember that the previous Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC), Juliet Lyon, asked for your views last year on how to prevent suicide in prison. This was as part of the IAPDC’s work to help inform the development of the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) new national suicide prevention strategy. Your views and recommendations were invaluable.
Policing and mental health: Getting the partnership right to prevent deaths
Police are increasingly the first point of contact to respond to those in mental health crisis, but when restraint has been the focus of such a response, some cases have led to tragic consequences; Lynn Emslie, Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody, believes a partnership response from policing and health services could help to avoid future fatalities.
Policing and mental health: Getting the partnership right to prevent deaths
Police are increasingly the first point of contact to respond to those in mental health crisis, but when restraint has been the focus of such a response, some cases have led to tragic consequences; Lynn Emslie, Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody, believes a partnership response from policing and health services could help to avoid future fatalities.
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