Piers Barber

Fellow’s Profile

Piers Barber

International perspectives on postvention as prevention in custody

Fellowship

Themes

Focus

Understanding the preventative potential of postvention following prison suicides

Countries

Fellowship year

2023

Supported by

Locality

London

Biography

I was previously head of the secretariat for the Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody, a civil service team which runs a ministerial board and supports an independent expert panel to co-ordinate work to prevent deaths in all forms of state detention in England and Wales.

My Fellowship aims to explore models and learning related to postvention support following suicides in prisons. While the increasing occurrence of suicides in custody in 'clusters' is well understood, the potential of postvention interventions to support those impacted and prevent contagion is not yet fully realised. My ambition is to examine international custody postvention initiatives as they exist both formally and informally to inform the development of national policy and practice to prevent future deaths.

Activity

editorial

“Kindness and Goodwill”: Developing Postvention in Prison

With self-inflicted deaths in prisons remaining consistently high, Piers Barber set out to explore how prisons can respond with stronger postvention – systematic aftercare following a suicide. His Fellowship took him to New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, where he saw examples such as the embedded role of chaplains in New Zealand prisons, new trials in Australia, and trauma training models for staff in Canada. He is now sharing his reflections with UK practitioners and policymakers, calling for leadership, mapping of all contact points, and varied support to strengthen suicide prevention in custody.

By Piers Barber, 22 October 2025

Disclaimer

All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.

Activity

editorial

“Kindness and Goodwill”: Developing Postvention in Prison

With self-inflicted deaths in prisons remaining consistently high, Piers Barber set out to explore how prisons can respond with stronger postvention – systematic aftercare following a suicide. His Fellowship took him to New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, where he saw examples such as the embedded role of chaplains in New Zealand prisons, new trials in Australia, and trauma training models for staff in Canada. He is now sharing his reflections with UK practitioners and policymakers, calling for leadership, mapping of all contact points, and varied support to strengthen suicide prevention in custody.

By Piers Barber, 22 October 2025

Disclaimer

All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.

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