Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will list the three most recent riots that took place in prisons or young offenders institutions.
Answer
‘Riot’ is not used as an incident classification. An incident in which two or more prisoners act together in defiance of a lawful instruction or against the requirements of the regime of the establishment is categorised as “concerted indiscipline”. The number of concerted indiscipline incidents in the 12 months to 31 March 2026 is published in the HMPPS Annual Digest 2025-26 . Data about incidents in the 12 months to 31 March 2027 are due for publication next year. The requested data are therefore exempt from disclosure, because they form part of a data set intended for future publication.
Verdict: RED (18/100)
The question asked for the three most recent riots in the prison system. The reply does not name any of them. It states that 'riot' is not a recorded category and offers an aggregate count of 'concerted indiscipline' instead, then points to a published digest and declines the specific figures on the grounds that they will be published later. The reply engages with the subject and gives reasons, but the asker would still need specific incident details to get an answer.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What are the three most recent riots that have taken place in prisons or young offender institutions? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply does not identify any of the three most recent riots. It says 'riot' is not a classification and substitutes the category 'concerted indiscipline', which is an aggregate count rather than named incidents. It points to a published digest and then refuses the specific data under a future-publication exemption, so it engages with the subject and gives a reason but does not supply the requested incidents. |