Sarah Campbell top left, Pauline Campbell top right, Pauline's Protest & Arrest bottom.UK: An inquest jury returned a verdict itemising a catalogue of faults at Styal prison in Cheshire, concluding that the prison's "failure of duty of care" contributed to the death of Sarah Campbell, 18, who took an overdose of tablets on the first day of her three-year sentence.
Campbell was the youngest of six women who died in the prison in 12 months from self-inflicted injuries. [? State-Terror.]
The jury described as factors contributing to her death a lack of urgency in formulating care plans, a lack of communication between the healthcare professionals and disciplinary staff, and her ability to smuggle in drugs undetected.
It found that there was a lack of suitable accommodation for vulnerable prisoners and criticised inadequate staffing levels, particularly at weekends and evenings, and a failure at all levels to understand and follow self-harm procedures.
It also found a lack of attention to vital medical information and assessment by outside agencies and a lack of structure and training.
"Emphasis is placed on auditing rather than prisoner welfare," it concluded at the end of a two-week hearing at Warrington town hall.
It found "avoidable delays" between the detection of the overdose and Sarah's arrival at Wythenshawe hospital, Manchester, where she died.
The toxicologist Professor Alexander Forrest had told the inquest that Sarah's chance of survival would have been "considerably higher" had an ambulance been called sooner.
The Cheshire coroner, Nicholas Rheinberg, said he was writing to the director general of the Prison Service to suggest that reports of investigations into non-natural deaths in prison should be given to staff.
He will also suggest that the prison should publish its response and any action plan. Copies will be sent to the prisons minister, Paul Goggins.
Mr Rheinberg recommended "regular mandatory training in suicide and self-harm" for all prison staff, and proper staff training records, and ordered a "thematic review" of the use of segregation in women's prisons and an immediate review of all staff training in suicide and self-harm at Styal.
When she arrived at Styal in January 2003 Campbell asked to be sent to Butler House, a unit for vulnerable prisoners, but she was put in the segregation unit.
The inquest was told there was a delay in calling an ambulance after a breakdown in communication between senior officers, who wrongly presumed that one was on its way. A nurse said she was told "it was a nurse's job" to call for an ambulance.
Campbell was convicted with Kim Woolley of the manslaughter of Amrit Bhandari, 72, a retired civil servant they had hassled for money in Chester. He collapsed and died of a heart attack.
Campbell said she was afraid of reprisals by Woolley, who was also sent to Styal, because she had testified against her.
The inquest was told that a community psychiatric nurse in court had faxed Styal asking to open a self-harm document. The fax was not available to those involved in her medical care.
When Nurse Lydia Webb went to the segregation unit to give Campbell her medication, Campbell told her: "I've just taken 120 of those." Ms Webb told the inquest: "I looked in her eyes and they looked like she had taken something. They were dilated and she was vacant."
She ran to get a blood pressure monitor and when she returned Campbell complained she should not be in prison and would be writing to her solicitor and MP. Her pulse was racing and she had vomited.
Ms Webb said she asked an officer to call for an ambulance but was told it was a nurse's job. "There was a general mix-up about who should call the ambulance," she said.
"It is usually the nurse, but when you are dealing with something you can't go away and order an ambulance."
An error was also made on a card outside her cell. It said R53 (Rule 53: awaiting adjudication), which implied an offence against prison discipline.
But Campbell had not committed an offence. She was in the segregation unit at Styal Prison on Rule 45, because she had asked to go there for her own protection.
The suicide prevention co-ordinator told the inquest that some staff were "not interested" in suicide prevention training.
The prisons ombudsman, Stephen Shaw, brought in to investigate after a sixth woman died in Styal in August 2003, told the inquest he was deeply uncomfortable that women had been placed in the segregation unit at Styal if they were at risk of self-harm or suicide.
Deborah Coles, co-director of the campaigning group Inquest, said: "This verdict is a damning indictment of Styal prison's failure to protect the life of a vulnerable woman at risk of suicide and self-harm.
Pauline Campbell, who said her daughter had tried to hang herself seven times while on remand, said she was "deeply shocked" to learn that Sarah had been placed on the segregation block, where she was "effectively isolated and basic procedures were not followed."
The Prison Service said lessons would be learned from Campbell's death and further improvements made at Styal[?]
By Helen Carter posted 27 January 05
Related:
England and Wales
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Australia
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Conditions in the HRMU
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We had a TV program in NZ some time ago where a guy pointed out that it doesn't matter how long the sentence is sooner or later they will have finished their sentence and go back into society and therefore live next door to someone!
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Our very own Alcatraz
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I was serving 17 years, was in segregation and had served five of the almost ten I eventually did. The prison movement outside had made the Royal Commission aware of the plight I was in as one of the prisoner organisers. That attention meant I was safer from that time on. Although two years later I was returned to Grafton with the classification of intractable.
Midnight Special
If you ever go to Goulburn HRMU yeah, you better walk right You'd better not breathe and sure thing better not fight.
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USA
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