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UK: Youth deaths "a measure of our failure"

01 January 2005

The relentless toll of deaths in prison has continued into 2005. Gareth Price, aged 16, took his own life at HMYOI Lancaster Farms, on 20 January. Two days later Karl Lewis, 18, killed himself at HM YOI Stoke Heath. Of these deaths, the former Chief Inspector of Prisons, Sir David Ramsbotham, was moved to comment:

I hope that these tragic deaths will act as a wake up call to all those in this country who consider themselves civilised. What more visible way for a nation to prove its virtue than by the way it treats and nurtures its children? We should not regard increasing numbers of anti-social behaviour orders, or large numbers of young people in custody, as a virility symbol but as a measure of our failure.

Victoria Robinson took her own life at HMP New Hall on 2 February 2005.

The inquest into the death of Sarah Campbell (18) at HMP Styal in 2003, heard from Prisons Ombudsman, Stephen Shaw, that he was shocked to find that three women deemed at risk of self-harm were in the segregation unit at the time of his investigation of the deaths of six women at the jail in 12 months. He confirmed that he was deeply uncomfortable with the practice, and stated further that screening at reception to determine risk of suicide/self-harm was poor. Sarah took her own life through an overdose of drugs she had smuggled into the prison one day after her conviction for manslaughter, having been placed in segregation, despite prison staff being informed that she was deemed a suicide risk. The inquest jury ruled that contributory factors in Sarah's death included

* ability to smuggle drugs easily into the prison

* failure of duty of care by the prison

* lack of urgency at the prison in formulating care
plans

* lack of communication between health care professionals and disciplinary staff

The jury commented that "More emphasis was put on auditing at HMP Styal than on prisoners' welfare."

BBC News 20, 22.1.05, 2.2.05; Guardian 2.2.05; INQUEST