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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 12:41 am
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Results for deaths in custody
32 results foundAuthor: Noonan, Margaret Title: Mortality in Local Jails, 2000 - 2007 Summary: This report describes the specific medical conditions causing deaths in jails nationwide during an eight-year period. For the leading medical causes of mortality, comparative estimates and mortality rates are presented by gender, age, race and Hispanic origin, and the length of time served in jail. The report includes detailed statistics on causes of death as well as more acute events such as suicides, homicides and accidents. Mortality as related to the size of the jail is also discussed. Jail inmate death rates are compared with rates in the general U.S. resident population using a direct standardization. Estimates and mortality rates for the top 50 jail jurisdictions in the United States are also presented. Highlights include the following: 1) From 2000 through 2007, local jail administrators reported 8,110 inmate deaths in custody. Deaths in jails increased each year, from 905 in 2000 to 1,103 in 2007; 2) The mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates declined from 152 deaths per 100,000 inmates to 141 per 100,000 between 2000 and 2007, while the jail inmate population increased 31% from 597,226 to 782,592; 3) Between 2000 and 2007, the suicide rates were higher in small jails than large jails. In jails holding 50 or fewer inmates, the suicide rate was 169 per 100,000; in the largest jails, the suicide rate was 27 per 100,000 inmates. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Deaths in Custody Reporting Program: Accessed August 20, 2010 at: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/mlj07.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/mlj07.pdf Shelf Number: 119647 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareInmate DeathsJail HomicidesJailsSuicides |
Author: Queensland. Crime and Misconduct Commission Title: CMC Review of the Queensland Police Service's Palm Island Review Summary: This report is a review by the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) of an internal investigation by the Queensland Police and examines the initial police investigation into the events surrounding the death of Mulrunji on Palm Island on 19 November 2004. The Commission review found that both the initial police investigation and the subsequent internal police review were seriously flawed, and that the conduct of the officers involved warranted consideration of disciplinary proceedings for misconduct. Details: Brisbane: Crime and Misconduct Commission, 2010. 216p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2010 at: http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/data/portal/00000005/content/13053001276649217949.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/data/portal/00000005/content/13053001276649217949.pdf Shelf Number: 119662 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyPolice Misconduct |
Author: MacAlister, David Title: Police-Involved Deaths: The Failure of Self-Investigation Summary: Police-involved deaths have attracted considerable media and public attention in recent years. Few issues involving the conduct of government are of such significance as those arising in this context. In order for the government to maintain legitimacy, there must be clear and effective oversight of such matters to maintain public confidence in the government in general, the criminal justice system more particularly, and especially in the police. A 2009 Angus Reid poll found that, amongst British Columbians, 61 percent of those surveyed indicated their confidence in the RCMP had declined (CTV News, 2009). This decrease in confidence followed on the heels of a number of incidents involving alleged police wrongdoing, including several incidents in which individuals died in police custody. This report focuses on deaths in actual police custody. However, some cases involve similar issues although the individual is not in actual custody. For example, Frank Paul was not in actual police custody at the time of his death, yet his death after being deposited and abandoned in an alley by police clearly merits attention in the same context as deaths that actually arise in police custody. When the police take individuals under their charge, they are required to provide them with an adequate level of care. Details: Vancouver, BC: B.C. Civil Liberties Association, 2010(?). 103p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 14, 2011 at: http://www.bccla.org/othercontent/Police_involved_deaths.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.bccla.org/othercontent/Police_involved_deaths.pdf Shelf Number: 120760 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyPolice MisconductPolice Use of Force (Canada) |
Author: Alffram, Henrik Title: “Crossfire”: Continued Human Rights Abuses by Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion Summary: Set up as an elite crime fighting force drawn from the military and police, Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has routinely engaged in extrajudicial killings and torture of people in custody and claiming falsely that they died during an exchange of fire. According to RAB’s own figures, the force has gunned down well over 600 alleged criminals since 2004. “Crossfire:” Continued Human Rights Abuses by Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion documents the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by RAB officers in and around Dhaka after the current Awami League-led government came to power. It builds on the 2006 Human Rights Watch report, Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Torture and Extrajudicial Killings by Bangladesh’s Elite Security Force. Created by the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), RAB was heavily criticized by the Awami League while in opposition. However, after the Awami League took office in January 2009 the killings have continued and no RAB officer has been prosecuted. Government officials have even justified or denied RAB’s abuses. Though there may be some within the system urging reform and accountability, RAB continues to operate with impunity. The Bangladesh government should follow through on its commitments and ensure that there are prompt, impartial, and independent investigations into torture and deaths in the custody of RAB. The government should prosecute all former and current members of RAB, of whatever rank, who are found to be responsible for human rights violations. Human Rights Watch calls upon foreign governments and international organizations to refuse to work with RAB in law enforcement or counter-terror operations until the force ceases its use of torture and extrajudicial executions, promotes transparency, and pursues accountability for violations of human rights. Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2011. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2011 at: http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2011/05/10/crossfire-0 Year: 2011 Country: Bangladesh URL: http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2011/05/10/crossfire-0 Shelf Number: 121726 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyExtrajudicial ExecutionsHuman Rights (Bangladesh)Torture |
Author: Brooker, Charlie Title: Trends in self-inflicted deaths and self-harm in prisons in England and Wales (2001-2008): In search of a new research paradigm Summary: No one would dispute that offenders, whether in prison or elsewhere in the criminal justice system, are an alienated group where it would be predicted that self-inflicted deaths (SIDs) rates are higher than for the general population. This paper will examine recent trends in SIDs and self-harm in English and Welsh prisons and discuss the implications of such data for future research across the whole offender pathway in England and Wales. Details: Lincoln, United Kingdom: The Criminal Justice and Health Group, University of Lincoln, 2010. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed in January 26, 2012 at http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/cjmh/SIDS%20and%20Self%20harm%20pub%20Lincoln.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/cjmh/SIDS%20and%20Self%20harm%20pub%20Lincoln.pdf Shelf Number: 123780 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyMental Health ServicesPrison AdministrationSelf-Injury, Inmates (U.K.)Suicide |
Author: Barry, Colette Title: Death in Irish Prisons: An Examination of the Causes of Deaths and the Compliance of Investigations with the European Convention on Human Rights Summary: Death is a tragic and unfortunately unavoidable aspect of life in a prison. The death of a prisoner raises significant questions in relation to the conditions of confinement and the conduct of the prison authorities. Robust investigations into these deaths can enhance accountability by shedding light on deficits in both institutional and systemic practices, as well as providing families of the deceased with a sense of closure. In Ireland, the investigative responses to prison deaths are neither robust, nor do they allow for significant scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the death. The causes of deaths in custody and the compatibility of the ensuing investigations with international standards have not been subjected to empirical analysis in this jurisdiction. The current study attempts to address this. Using data collected from coronial inquest files in the Dublin City Coroner’s district, the causes of prisoners’ deaths were subjected to a rigorous thematic analysis. The efficacy of the inquest process and its compliance with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights were also examined. This study exposes a myriad of issues relating to both the causes of deaths and the resulting investigations. The findings highlight issues such as appropriate drug treatment strategies, deficits in medical practices, and the poor provision for family participation at the inquest proceedings. Most importantly, the research findings show that prisoners’ deaths are caused by a variety of factors, and as such there can be no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the problems. Details: Dublin: Dublin Institute of Technology, 2011. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Masters Dissertation: Accessed September 17, 2012 at: http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=aaschssldis Year: 2011 Country: Ireland URL: http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=aaschssldis Shelf Number: 126357 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHuman RightsPrison ConditionsPrisons (Ireland) |
Author: Noonan, Margaret E. Title: Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons, 2000-2010 - Statistical Tables Summary: During 2010, 4,150 inmates died while in the custody of local jails and state prisons—a 5% decline from 2009. Local jails accounted for about a quarter of all inmate deaths, with 918 inmates who died in custody in 2010. The number of jail inmate deaths declined from 2009 to 2010 (down 3%), while the mortality rate remained relatively stable, from 128 deaths per 100,000 jail inmates in 2009 to 125 per 100,000 in 2010. The five leading causes of jail inmate deaths were suicide, heart disease, drug or alcohol intoxication, cancer, and liver disease. Most inmates who died in custody were serving time in state prisons (78%). In 2010, 3,232 state prison inmates died in custody—a 5% decline from 2009. The mortality rate in state prisons declined slightly, from 257 deaths per 100,000 prison inmates in 2009 to 245 per 100,000 in 2010. In 2010, the five leading causes of state prison inmate deaths were cancer, heart disease, liver disease, respiratory disease, and suicide. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2012. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 3, 2013 at: http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mljsp0010st.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mljsp0010st.pdf Shelf Number: 128199 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareInmatesJailsPrisoner HomicidesPrisoner Suicides |
Author: Youth Justice Board for England and Wales Title: Deaths of Children in Custody: Action Taken, Lessons Learnt Summary: The death of any child is a tragedy. When that child is in custody, the death also raises important questions for the state in respect of its duty to keep the child safe. In 2000, the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB) took responsibility for commissioning places in the secure estate for children and young people in England and Wales, and for placing children in secure units after they had been sentenced by the courts. Sixteen boys have died in custody since the YJB took responsibility for placements and commissioning in the secure estate in April 2000. With the exception of Gareth Myatt, all of the boys' deaths are thought1 to have been self-inflicted. Analysis of the available records from inquests, Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) investigation reports, Serious Case Reviews and one government-commissioned inquiry (Lambert, 2005) suggests that the YJB has been the direct recipient of about 120 recommendations. This report describes how these recommendations have been implemented. Details: London: Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, 2014. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 12, 2014 at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/youth-justice/monitoring-performance/deaths-children-in-custody.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/youth-justice/monitoring-performance/deaths-children-in-custody.pdf Shelf Number: 131873 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyJuvenile DetentionJuvenile Inmates |
Author: Victorian Ombudsman Title: Investigation into Deaths and Harm in Custody Summary: The State owes a duty of care to every person detained in custody to ensure their safety and wellbeing. For example, in the Victorian prison system the Secretary of the Department of Justice has a statutory duty to ensure the safe custody and welfare of prisoners and offenders in the Secretary's custody. There are a number of rights that are engaged under the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 when a person is detained in custody, including a person's right to humane treatment and the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of life. The Victorian community should have confidence in what happens behind the closed doors of custodial facilities - that detainees are managed in a fair and consistent manner; that they are treated with dignity and respect for their human rights; and that those responsible for caring for detainees are held accountable for their actions. Many people in custody are vulnerable, often with complex social, legal and medical histories. Each year a number of people die in custody, while many more experience some form of harm, injury or illness. For over 40 years, the welfare of people in custody has been a concern of the Victorian Ombudsman. In a number of my reports to Parliament I have identified concerns about the treatment of people in custody and made recommendations to address such concerns. Given continuing overcrowding in Victorian prisons and police cells, coinciding with an increase in the number of prisoner deaths in 2012-13, I decided that an own motion investigation into deaths in Victorian custodial facilities was warranted. My investigation focussed on Victorian prisons, police cells, the youth justice precincts and the secure psychiatric hospital for people with serious mental illness admitted under the Mental Health Act 1986. Details: Melbourne: Victorian Ombudsman, 2014. 152p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 21, 2014 at: https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/getattachment/2998b6e6-491a-4dfe-b081-9d86fe4d4921/reports-publications/parliamentary-reports/investigation-into-deaths-and-harm-in-custody.aspx Year: 2014 Country: Australia URL: https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/getattachment/2998b6e6-491a-4dfe-b081-9d86fe4d4921/reports-publications/parliamentary-reports/investigation-into-deaths-and-harm-in-custody.aspx Shelf Number: 132095 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyInmate DeathsMental Health ServicesPrison OvercrowdingPrisonersSuicide |
Author: Canada. Office of the Correctional Investigator Title: A Three Year Review of Federal Inmate Suicides (2011-2014) Summary: Sadly, we have come to expect about ten suicide deaths each year in federal penitentiaries. Though the number of prison suicides fluctuates annually and has generally been declining, the rate has remained relatively stable in recent years and is still approximately seven times higher than in the general population. In the 20-year period from 1994-95 to 2013-14, a total of 211 federal inmates have taken their own life. Suicide is the leading cause of un-natural death among federal inmates, accounting for about 20% of all deaths in custody in any given year. While there is no fail-safe method to predict suicide in a prison setting, there is an obligation on the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) to preserve life in custody. A comprehensive suicide awareness and prevention program increases the likelihood of identifying and safely managing suicidal inmates. This report, part of the Office's continuing focus on prevention of deaths in custody, consists of a comprehensive review of all completed acts of suicide (n=30) that occurred in federal penitentiaries in the three year period between April 2011 and March 2014. The Office was prompted to undertake this review in light of a number of concerning developments that, when considered together, suggest that progress has stalled in CSC's efforts to prevent and publicly account for deaths in custody: 1. Persistent concern about the disproportionate number of prison suicides that continue to occur in segregation cells under conditions of close monitoring and supervision. Policy prohibits segregation placements for the purpose of managing suicide risk. Notwithstanding, the Service continues the dangerous practice of long-term segregation of mentally disordered inmates at elevated risk of suicide and/or self-injurious behaviour. 2. Critical findings and recommendations emanating from recently concluded high profile provincial fatality inquiries and inquests into deaths involving federally sentenced inmates. 3. CSC has stopped producing its Annual Inmate Suicide Report, an initiative that dates back to 1992. (The last report covered prison suicides that occurred in FY 2010-11). 4. In February 2009, as part of its follow-up to the Office's reports on deaths in custody, the CSC committed to sharing quarterly summaries highlighting pertinent issues and statistical information on deaths in custody (other than deaths by natural causes). The first of six quarterly bulletins (Deaths in Custody - Highlights and Significant Findings) was received by this Office in September 2009, with the last bulletin issued in March 2011 covering 17 deaths that occurred between October and December 2010. 5. As a policy streamlining measure, as of April 2014 the Service is no longer conducting suicide risk screening of first-time federal inmates awaiting transfer from provincial remand to federal custody. 6. As it agreed to do, the Service has still not yet posted on its external website its response to the findings and recommendations of The Final Report of the (Second) Independent Review Committee (November 2012). Appointed by the Commissioner, this external review body, part of CSC's response to the Office's 2007 Deaths in Custody study, examined 25 non-natural deaths in custody (6 suicides, 4 overdoses, 5 homicides, 9 deaths by unknown causes and 1 death by deadly force) that occurred in federal facilities between April 2010 and March 2011. 7. Finally, despite documents that remain in draft and incomplete form, CSC has not yet produced a performance monitoring and reporting framework that would serve to publicly account for its progress in preventing deaths in custody. Details: Ottawa: Office of the Correctional Investigator, 2014. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 30, 2014 at: http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/pdf/oth-aut/oth-aut20140910-eng.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/pdf/oth-aut/oth-aut20140910-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 133835 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyInmate DeathsInmate SuicidesInmates (Canada) |
Author: Coles, Deborah Title: Deaths in Mental Health Detention: An investigation framework fit for purpose? Summary: INQUEST is the only charity working directly with the families of those who die in state detention and has a unique overview of the investigation and inquest process. For over 30 years INQUEST has drawn attention to the lack of public information about the number and circumstances of deaths in mental health settings and the closed nature of the investigation process. This is not a new problem but one largely hidden from public scrutiny, and the absence of transparency and accountability is a major cause for concern. INQUEST provides advice and assistance to an increasing number of bereaved families whose relatives have died in mental health detention and who are concerned about the treatment and care of the deceased and the lack of rigour of subsequent investigations and inquests. This report collates statistics, evidence and individual stories from INQUEST's monitoring, casework, research and policy work. It documents concerns about the lack of a properly-independent investigation system and the consistent failure by most NHS Trusts to ensure the involvement of families in investigations. Ultimately, it highlights the lack of effective public scrutiny of deaths in mental health detention that frustrate the ability of NHS organisations to learn and enact fundamental changes to policy and practice to protect mental health in-patients and prevent further fatalities. The report identifies three key themes: 1. The number of deaths and issues relating to their reporting and monitoring. 2. The lack of an independent system of pre-inquest investigation as compared to other deaths in detention. 3. The lack of a robust mechanism for ensuring post-death accountability and learning. Details: London: INQUEST, 2015. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 18, 2015 at: http://inquest.gn.apc.org/pdf/reports/INQUEST_deaths_in_mental_health_detention_Feb_2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://inquest.gn.apc.org/pdf/reports/INQUEST_deaths_in_mental_health_detention_Feb_2015.pdf Shelf Number: 134643 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyMental HealthMentally Ill Offenders (U.K.) |
Author: Athwal, Harmit, Bourne, Jenny Title: Dying for Justice Summary: Dying for Justice which gives the background on 509 people (an average of twenty-two per year) from BAME, refugee and migrant communities who have died between 1991-2014 in suspicious circumstances in which the police, prison authorities or immigration detention officers have been implicated. It concludes that: - a large proportion of these deaths have involved undue force and many more a culpable lack of care; - despite critical narrative verdicts warning of dangerous procedures and the proliferation of guidelines, lessons are not being learnt; people die in similar ways year on year; - although inquest juries have delivered verdicts of unlawful killing in at least twelve cases, no one has been convicted for their part in these deaths over the two and a half decades of the research; - privatisation and sub-contracting of custodial, health and other services compounds concerns and makes it harder to call agencies to account; - Family and community campaigns have been crucial in bringing about any change in institutions and procedures Details: London: Institute for Race Relations, 2015. 90p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 26, 2015 at: http://www.irr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Dying_for_Justice_web.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.irr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Dying_for_Justice_web.pdf Shelf Number: 135063 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyImmigrant DetentionMigrantsPolice Use of ForcePrisoners, Foreign (U.K.)Refugees |
Author: Abu-Hayyeh, Reem Title: Unwanted, Unnoticed: An audit of 160 Asylum and Immigration-related Deaths in Europe Summary: The deaths over the last five years, in the detention and reception centres, the streets and the squats of Europe, are a product of the rightlessness and the lack of human dignity European governments accord to migrants and asylum seekers. They are also the tip of the iceberg; the true figures are unknown, as in many countries migrants' deaths are not recorded or investigated. But of the deaths whose circumstances are known, the largest number, sixty, were suicides; 26 were caused by untreated illness or illness exacerbated by detention, while sixteen were caused by destitution. Details: London: Institute of Race Relations, 2015. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Briefing No. 10: Accessed April 1, 2015 at: http://www.irr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ERP-Briefing-Paper-No-10-FINAL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Europe URL: http://www.irr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ERP-Briefing-Paper-No-10-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 135123 Keywords: Asylum SeekersDeaths in CustodyImmigrant Detention |
Author: American Civil Liberties Union Title: Fatal Neglect: How ICE Ignores Deaths in Detention Summary: Egregious violations of ICE medical care standards played a prominent role in eight deaths in immigration detention facilities from 2010 to 2012. Fatal Neglect: How ICE Ignores Deaths in Detention, a report jointly produced by the American Civil Liberties Union, Detention Watch Network, and National Immigrant Justice Center, examines these deaths and the agency's response to them. Our research shows that even though ICE conducted reviews that identified violations of medical standards as contributing factors in these deaths, routine ICE detention facility inspections before and after the deaths failed to acknowledge - or at times dismissed - these violations. Instead of forcing changes in culture, systems, and processes that could reduce future deaths, ICE's deficient inspections system essentially swept the agency's own death review findings under the rug. Details: New York: ACLU, 2016. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 26, 2016 at: https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/fatal_neglect_acludwnnijc.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/fatal_neglect_acludwnnijc.pdf Shelf Number: 137986 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareIllegal ImmigrantsImmigrant Detention |
Author: Zeng, Zhen Title: Assessing Inmate Cause of Death: Deaths in Custody Reporting Program And National Death Index Summary: Provides a technical review of the coverage and quality of inmate cause of death data collected under BJS's Deaths in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP). Records of inmates who died in jail and prison from 2007 to 2010 were matched to the National Death Index (NDI). This report examines match rates, compares underlying cause of death, and assesses sources of disagreement between the DCRP and NDI. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Technical Report: Accessed November 15, 2016 at: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/aicddcrpndi.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/aicddcrpndi.pdf Shelf Number: 146643 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyInmate DeathsInmate HomicidesInmate SuicidesPrison Violence |
Author: Noonan, Margaret E. Title: Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2014 - Statistical Tables Summary: Describes national and state-level data on inmate deaths that occurred in local jails from 2000 to 2014 and includes a preliminary count of inmate deaths in local jails in 2015. Mortality data include the number of deaths and mortality rates by year, cause of death, selected decedent characteristics, and the state where the death occurred. Data are from BJS's Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, which was initiated under the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-297). Highlights: Heart disease was the second leading cause of death in local jails, accounting for 23% of deaths between 2000 and 2014. The suicide rate in local jails in 2014 was 50 per 100,000 local jail inmates. This is the highest suicide rate observed in local jails since 2000. More than a third (425 of 1,053 deaths, or 40%) of inmate deaths occurred within the first 7 days of admission. More than a third of inmates who died of homicide (137 of 327) were being held for a violent offense in 2014. Almost half (47%) of suicides occurred in general housing within jails between 2000 and 2014. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 21, 2016 at: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5865 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5865 Shelf Number: 146006 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareInmatesJail InmatesJailsSuicide |
Author: Noonan, Margaret E. Title: Mortality In State Prisons, 2001-2014 - Statistical Tables Summary: Describes national- and state-level data on inmate deaths that occurred in state prisons from 2001 to 2014 and presents aggregate counts of inmate deaths in federal prisons. Mortality data include the number of deaths and mortality rates by year, cause of death, selected decedent characteristics, and the state where the death occurred. A preliminary count of prisoner deaths in 2015 is also provided. Data are from BJS's Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, which was initiated under the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-297). Federal data are based on counts from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Highlights: Between 2001 and 2014, there were 50,785 prisoner deaths in state and federal prisons. The majority (45,640) of prisoner deaths occurred in state prisons. The number of suicides in state prisons increased 30% between 2013 and 2014 (from 192 to 249 deaths). Liver disease deaths, the third most common cause of death, declined 12% between 2013 and 2014 (from 354 to 313 deaths). More female state prisoners died in 2014 (154) than in any year since 2008 (163). Texas (409), Florida (346), and California (317) had the highest number of deaths in state prisons in 2014. The mortality rate of females for illness-related deaths increased to 238 per 100,000 state prisoners in 2014, up from 235 per 100,000 in 2013. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 21, 2016 at: https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5866 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5866 Shelf Number: 147767 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyInmate Deaths Prisoner Deaths (U.S.) Prisoner Homicides Prisoner Suicides |
Author: Phillips, Jake Title: Non-natural deaths following prison and police custody: Data and practice issues Summary: The Commission undertook this research as a follow up to our "Preventing deaths in detention of adults with mental health conditions" Inquiry. During this inquiry, we were told of concerns about gaps in knowledge about those who died shortly after leaving police or prison custody. This was outside of the Inquiry's terms of reference but we decided to take a closer look at this following publication of the Inquiry report. We commissioned Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Cambridge to undertake this work. The original inquiry made four principal recommendations. These were: -- There needs to be a more structured approach to learning lessons to implement changes identified as necessary during investigations of previous deaths and near misses, as well as learning from experiences in other institutions. -- There should be a clearer focus on getting the basics right, including implementing recommendations, improving staff training and ensuring more joined up working. -- There needs to be increased transparency to ensure adequate scrutiny, holding to account and the involvement of bereaved families. --All detention settings should use the Commission's Human Rights Framework to reduce non-natural deaths and ensure that their policies and practices meet their legal obligations under the Human Rights Act. The research into deaths following custody identified similar factors, suggesting that issues which could contribute to deaths in custody, are also relevant on release. Details: Manchester, UK: Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2016. 75p. Source: Internet Resource: Research report 106: Accessed January 27, 2017 at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/research-report-106-non-natural-deaths-following-prison-and-police-custody.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/research-report-106-non-natural-deaths-following-prison-and-police-custody.pdf Shelf Number: 144928 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHomicidePolice CustodySuicide |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "Bound by Brotherhood": India's Failure to End Killings in Police Custody Summary: Indian police often torture criminal suspects to punish them, to gather information, or to coerce confessions. Despite changes in laws and guidelines and the promise of police reforms since 1997, official data shows at least 591 people died in police custody between 2010 and 2015. While police blame most of the deaths on suicide, illness, or natural causes, in many such cases family members allege that the deaths were the result of torture; allegations sometimes supported by independent investigations. Bound by Brotherhood examines the reasons for the continuing impunity for custodial deaths in India, and recommends steps that authorities should take to end it. It details the scope of the problem drawing on in-depth Human Rights Watch investigations into 17 custodial deaths that occurred between 2009 and 2015. In most of these cases, family members, with the assistance of lawyers and activists, were able to seek new inquiries, thus providing access to witness testimonies, autopsy reports, or police statements. In each of the 17 cases, the police did not follow proper arrest procedures—including documenting the arrest, notifying family members, or producing the suspect before a magistrate within 24 hours—which made the suspect more vulnerable to abuse and may have contributed to a belief by police that any mistreatment could be covered up. In most of the cases, investigating authorities, mainly the police, failed to take steps that could have helped ensure accountability for the deaths. Human Rights Watch calls on the Indian government to strictly enforce existing law and guidelines on arrest and detention and ensure that police officers implicated in torture and other ill-treatment, regardless of rank, are disciplined or prosecuted as appropriate. Details: New York: HRW, 2016. 128p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 27, 2017 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/india1216_web_0.pdf Year: 2016 Country: India URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/india1216_web_0.pdf Shelf Number: 144918 Keywords: Deadly ForceDeaths in CustodyHomicidesPolice BrutalityPolice CustodyPolice Use of ForceTorture |
Author: University of Texas. Austin School of Law. Civil Rights Clinic Title: Preventable Tragedies: How to Reduce Mental Health-Related Deaths in Texas Jails Summary: The first section of this report tells the stories of ten tragic and preventable deaths in Texas jails. These ten people suffered from mental disorders and related health needs, and died unexpectedly in jail as a result of neglect or treatment failures. The second section of this report sets forth widely accepted policy recommendations based on national standards and best practices to improve diversion and treatment of persons with mental illness and related health needs who are incarcerated in Texas county jails. RECOMMENDATION NO. 1: INCREASE JAIL DIVERSION FOR LOW-RISK PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS. As state and local stakeholders develop pretrial diversion programs, they should ensure that mental illness is factored in, and not as a barrier to pretrial release. In addition, the Legislature and counties should find new ways to reduce warrants and arrests for low-level misdemeanors, to prevent the use of jails for low-risk arrestees. RECOMMENDATION NO. 2: IMPROVE SCREENING. As counties implement the revised mental health screening instrument, they should train correctional officers to recognize signs of mental illness and suicide risk, and explore partnerships with their local mental health authority (LMHA) to have mental health professionals from the LMHA assist with intake screening. RECOMMENDATION NO. 3: INCREASE COMPLIANCE WITH TEX. CODE CRIM. P. 16.22 AND 17.032. The legislature should clarify the law to increase compliance with the requirement that magistrates be notified of an arrestee's mental illness or suicide risk, so as to enable pretrial diversion into mental health treatment when appropriate. Counties should implement the law's requirements, using partnerships with LMHAs if needed. RECOMMENDATION NO. 4: STRENGTHEN SUICIDE PREVENTION. Counties should make their suicide prevention plans more effective by: (1) increasing training and promoting culture change; (2) providing for ongoing suicide risk assessment throughout an inmate's stay in the jail; (3) avoiding housing at-risk inmates alone; (4) designating suicide-resistant cells; and (5) having mental health professionals assist with the assessment of suicide risk. RECOMMENDATION NO. 5: COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES. County jails should form broad - and preferably formal - partnerships with their area LMHAs, and work to place LMHA staff in the jail full-time. The Legislature should fund LMHAs to add capacity to provide more services in jails. RECOMMENDATION NO. 6: BOLSTER FORMULARIES. County jails should promote continuity of mental health care by (1) including in their formulary the medications listed in the local mental health authority's formulary and (2) contracting with outside providers to quickly acquire any medication not kept in stock. RECOMMENDATION NO. 7: PROMOTE MEDICATION CONTINUITY. County jails should promote continuity of care by allowing inmates to continue taking prescribed medication that the inmate had been taking prior to booking, after taking certain precautions. Specifically, county jails should replace policies of denying access to prescribed medications with more flexible alternatives. RECOMMENDATION NO. 8: DEVELOP AND UPDATE DETOX PROTOCOLS. Each county jail's health service plan should include a detoxification protocol for supporting withdrawal from alcohol, opioids, benzodiazepines, and other commonly used substances, in conformance with current national standards. RECOMMENDATION NO. 9: ADD FORENSIC PEER SUPPORT. County jails should strengthen their mental health care services by implementing a forensic peer support program. RECOMMENDATION NO. 10: IMPROVE MONITORING. Counties should promote more effective monitoring of inmates by: (1) requiring jail staff to proactively engage inmates and take action during regular observation; (2) increasing the frequency of observation for at-risk inmates and setting irregular monitoring intervals; (3) ensuring adequate staffing; (4) using technology along with personal interaction to make observation more accountable; and (5) using technology to alert staff of inmate crises. RECOMMENDATION NO. 11: REDUCE THE USE OF RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION. County jails should (1) set an explicit goal to reduce the use of restraint and seclusion, with an eye toward eliminating them altogether; (2) abolish the most dangerous restraint and seclusion practices; and (3) train officers to reduce reliance on restraint and seclusion, and collect data to evaluate performance. The Texas Legislature should require stricter regulation of seclusion that mirrors its strict regulation of restraint. RECOMMENDATION NO. 12: LIMIT THE USE OF FORCE. County jails should strengthen their policies and training on use of force, explicitly address use of force against inmates with mental health needs, promote the goals of eliminating excessive use of force, and use force only as a last resort. Details: Austin: University of Texas School of law Civil Rights Clinic, 2016. 107p. Source: Internet Resources: Accessed May 6, 2017 at: https://law.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2016/11/2016-11-CVRC-Preventable-Tragedies.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://law.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2016/11/2016-11-CVRC-Preventable-Tragedies.pdf Shelf Number: 145336 Keywords: Deaths in Custody Jail InmatesMental Health CareMental Health ServicesMental Health TreatmentMentally Ill OffendersSuicides |
Author: Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales Title: Learning from PPO Investigations: Older Prisoners Summary: This report is a thematic review of our investigations into naturally-caused deaths of prisoners over 50. It reviews 314 investigations over 2013-2015, and offers 13 lessons on six areas where we frequently make recommendations following investigations into deaths in custody of older prisoners. The six areas it examines in depth are: healthcare and diagnosis; restraints; end of life care; family involvement; early release; and dementia and complex needs. We also offer one good practice case study. With respect to healthcare and diagnosis, this publication offers lessons on both continuity and coordination of care. We offer case studies that illustrate the importance of health screenings for newly arrived prisoners, following NICE guidelines and, where possible, we suggest that prisoners with ongoing health concerns should see the same doctor. This publication also includes case studies showing the recommendations we make about restraining old or infirm prisoners, and reiterates much of the guidance we have issued in past publications. Namely, we expect that risk assessments should be proportionate to the actual risk posed by the prisoner, given his or her health condition; that input from healthcare staff should be meaningfully and seriously considered; and that risk assessments should be reviewed in line with changing health conditions. We also offer lessons about palliative and end of life care - something prisons increasingly have to deal with. Here, we acknowledge it is not only prisoners who are ageing - often our facilities are older and not designed to adequately accommodate disability or palliative care needs. We recommend that prisons try to ensure the terminally ill are treated in a suitable environment. We also identify a lesson to improve healthcare coordination at the end of life, by ensuring that care plans are initiated at an appropriate, and ideally early, stage for those who are diagnosed with a terminal illness. We offer two lessons with respect to family involvement. We acknowledge that prisoners are not always in contact with their families, nor do their families always want to be in contact with them. In this publication, we recommend that, with the consent of the prisoner and their family, trained family liaison officers involve families in end of life care, and notify next of kin promptly when a prisoner is taken to the hospital. Further, we recommend that family liaison officers are nominated as soon as possible after the prisoner's serious or terminal diagnosis. We identify two lessons with respect to early release of terminally ill prisoners - one that suggests prisons should appoint an appropriate contact to ensure applications for early release are properly progressed, and another that, similar to our lessons for restraints, recommends risk assessments be contextual and based on the actual risk the prisoner poses, taking into account their current health condition. Finally, as the older population in prisons increases in both size and proportion, we are finding more cases where the prisoner is diagnosed with, or showing signs of dementia. This is occasionally compounded with other social, mental, or physical needs, which can make these cases particularly complex to deal with. In this section, we elaborate more on this, and offer two lessons that might help prisons to better care for and manage prisoners with dementia and complex needs. Overall, we hope that these lessons, along with an example of good practice in end of life care in prison, will help prisons deal better with this demographic change Details: London: The Ombudsman, 2017. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 16, 2017 at: http://www.ppo.gov.uk/app/uploads/2017/06/6-3460_PPO_Older-Prisoners_WEB.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ppo.gov.uk/app/uploads/2017/06/6-3460_PPO_Older-Prisoners_WEB.pdf Shelf Number: 146785 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyElderly InmatesOlder Prisoners |
Author: Angiolini, Elish Title: Report of the Independent Review of Deaths and Serious Incidents in Police Custody Summary: Background 1. On 23 July 2015 the then Home Secretary, the Rt. Hon Theresa May MP announced a major review into deaths and serious incidents in police custody. 2. The review has looked at the major issues surrounding deaths and serious incidents in police custody. This included the events leading up to such incidents, as well as existing protocols and procedures designed to minimise the risks. It looked at the immediate aftermath of a death or serious incident, and the various investigations that ensue. Most importantly it examined how the families of the deceased are treated at every stage of the process. 3. It has also identified areas for improvement and developed recommendations to ensure humane institutional treatment when such incidents occur. There are several recommendations that will have to be considered by Government, the police, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Coroner as well as other agencies with an involvement in these issues. While acknowledging that it would not be possible to entirely eradicate deaths and serious incidents in police custody, these recommendations are, I believe, necessary in order to minimise as far as possible the risks of such incidents occurring in future. They will also ensure that when such incidents do occur, the procedures in place are efficient, effective, humane, and command public confidence. Key findings 4. The creation of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was a result of many years of campaigning for an independent body to investigate police actions. Such a body was floated as far back as the 1981 Scarman Report. 5. There is still a view among many families of those who have died in custody and of campaigners, lawyers and police officers who spoke to this review that the IPCC does not always feel truly independent of the police or of police culture. This is in part because of the numbers of former police officers employed by the IPCC. If an independent investigative body is to succeed, it must have the trust of families, and the full cooperation of police forces. 6. To ensure that the IPCC can achieve a mature and patent independence from the influence and culture of those it investigates, ex-police officers should be phased out as lead investigators within the IPCC.To the extent that the IPCC still consider this expertise is required, ex-police staff should act only as formal consultants or as a training source within and, more appropriately, outwith the organisation. 7. Cases involving a death or serious incident in police custody are likely to be among the most serious and complex cases the IPCC have to investigate. They clearly demand the highest priority in terms of resources and expertise of the organisation. Complexity and seriousness should not in itself be an excuse for unnecessarily long and protracted investigations. 8. The causes of delay and problems with the quality of investigation may be addressed by the creation of a specialist Deaths and Serious Injuries Unit within the IPCC and through a fundamental change in how such cases are investigated, supervised and resourced. The Unit should be staffed by senior and expert officers from a non-police background. 9. This report also considers the capacity of the IPCC to attend the scene of a police custody death in a timely fashion. The first hours following a death are crucial. What happens during that period can fundamentally set the shape and tone of an ensuing investigation because of the importance of evidence preservation and collection. Similarly, the family experience of the entire process may be coloured by the way they are treated in these first crucial hours. 10. The IPCC should therefore be resourced to ensure an experienced officer can attend as a matter of urgency at the scene. On arrival that officer should liaise with the Senior Police Officer in Charge and with the Coroner, direct early steps, act as an observer to ensure the integrity of the evidence and communicate with specialist officers from a new IPCC Deaths and Serious Injuries Unit as those officers make their way to the scene. 11. The extent to which restraint techniques contribute to deaths in custody and whether current training is fit for purpose is a crucial aspect of this report. This report argues that police practice must recognise that all restraint has the potential to cause death. Recognition must be given to the wider dangers posed by restraining someone in a heightened physical and mental state, where the individual's system can become rapidly and fatally overwhelmed. For example, positional asphyxia is a form of asphyxia which causes death when a person's position prevents them from breathing properly. It may occur during or following the use of certain restraint techniques, for example, in face down or prone restraint. Details: London: UK Government, 2017. 292p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 3, 2017 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/655401/Report_of_Angiolini_Review_ISBN_Accessible.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/655401/Report_of_Angiolini_Review_ISBN_Accessible.pdf Shelf Number: 148021 Keywords: Deaths in Custody |
Author: Walters, Adrianne Title: Over-represented and overlooked: the crisis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's growing over-imprisonment Summary: The crisis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's over-imprisonment, both in prisons and police cells, is causing immeasurable harm. The tragic and preventable death of Ms Dhu, a 22 year old Yamatji woman, while in the custody of Western Australian police because of unpaid fines is a devastating example of how the justice system fails Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Despite repeatedly asking for help, Ms Dhu died of an infection flowing from a fractured rib - an injury sustained as a result of family violence. Being unable to pay fines saw her locked up and treated inhumanely by police officers before dying in their care. At a time when she needed help, the justice system punished her. Ms Dhu's case is not an isolated one - the deaths of eleven women in prisons and police cells for minor offending were examined by the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Only nine months ago, another young Aboriginal woman and the mother of four children, died while in police custody in NSW. Women's imprisonment rates generally have soared much faster than men's in recent decades. Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's over-imprisonment rates are nearly 2.5 times what they were at the time of the landmark 1991 report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women comprise 34 per cent of women behind bars but only 2 per cent of the adult female Australian population. Even more women are cycling in and out of courts and police cells. This is a crisis, carrying with it profound effects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, their children and their communities. Details: Melbourne: Human Rights Law Centre; Strawberry Hillw, NSW: Change the Record Coalition, 2017. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 1, 2017 at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/580025f66b8f5b2dabbe4291/t/59378aa91e5b6cbaaa281d22/1496812234196/OverRepresented_online.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/580025f66b8f5b2dabbe4291/t/59378aa91e5b6cbaaa281d22/1496812234196/OverRepresented_online.pdf Shelf Number: 148677 Keywords: Aboriginals Deaths in CustodyFemale Inmates Female Offenders Female Prisoners Indigenous Peoples |
Author: Newcomen, Nigel Title: Self-inflicted deaths among female prisoners Summary: This bulletin was prompted by the recent dramatic and depressing rise in self-inflicted deaths of women in prison. It looks at 19 investigations between 2013 and 2016 of instances where women took their own lives. This small sample cannot explain this apparently rising toll of despair, but the bulletin does identify a number of important areas of learning. This learning focuses on improving suicide and self-harm prevention procedures, better assessment and management of risk, addressing mental health issues, combating bullying and ensuring timely emergency responses. I have to add I find it disheartening that many of the lessons we identify repeat those in previous publications from my office. This suggests it is not a lack of knowledge that is the issue, but a lack of concerted and sustained action. While we often identify examples of excellent and compassionate care by individual staff, and also recognise that prisons have been under enormous strain in recent years, there can be no excuse for not implementing essential safety arrangements that could ensure vulnerable women in prison are better protected. It is to be hoped that delivering safer outcomes for women (and men) in prison will be at the heart of the Government's new prison reform agenda, and that this bulletin can assist with this and help reverse the unacceptable and tragic rise in self-inflicted deaths. Details: London: Prisons & Probation Ombudsman, 2017. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Learning Lessons Bulletin: Accessed December 1, 2017 at: https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/ppo-dev-storage-4dvljl6iqfyh/uploads/2017/03/PPO-Learning-Lessons-Bulletin_Self-inflicted-deaths-among-female-prisoners_WEB.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/ppo-dev-storage-4dvljl6iqfyh/uploads/2017/03/PPO-Learning-Lessons-Bulletin_Self-inflicted-deaths-among-female-prisoners_WEB.pdf Shelf Number: 148682 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyFemale Inmates Female Prisoners Suicide |
Author: Semple, Tori Title: Injuries and Deaths Proximate to Oleoresin Capsicum Spray Deployment: A Literature Review Summary: The primary goal of this literature review was to assess research (both published and unpublished) related to injuries and deaths proximate to Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray deployment. A search of several databases and search engines produced 22 documents that were deemed relevant for the review. Existing research makes it clear that OC spray is now commonly used across a variety of settings, including law enforcement and corrections. Research has also demonstrated that the impact of OC spray will vary as a function of numerous factors, including: its concentration, its physiochemical properties, the deployment device used, and a range of subject (e.g., clothing) and environmental (e.g., weather) factors. A number of studies have examined the operational effectiveness of OC spray (i.e., to control resistant subjects). Some of these studies have included injuries (to the subject and to the person deploying the spray) as outcome variables. This research demonstrates that OC spray is often effective and it is typically associated with decreased odds of both subject and "deployer" injury. This finding is relatively consistent across jurisdictions and conditions. Although there are exceptions, when OC-associated injuries do occur, they consistently appear to be relatively minor. Other research focuses more specifically on the nature of injuries that are associated with the use of OC spray. Most of the specific injuries reported in the literature are relatively minor and individuals targeted by OC spray rarely seem to require serious medical attention. It appears to be very uncommon for OC-associated injuries to have a long-term, negative impact on the affected individual. The vast majority of reported injuries involve eye and skin irritation or pain, altered vision, corneal abrasions, and respiratory symptoms. A number of documents also examined deaths that appear to be associated with the deployment of OC spray. Based on the evidence cited, OC spray is rarely associated with serious harm or death. However, when OC spray is used proximate to a subject's death, common themes are present. In the majority of reported deaths associated with OC spray exposure, the subject appears to be: male, combative, intoxicated (by drugs and/or alcohol), placed in a prone maximal restraint position, and have pre-existing health conditions (most commonly asthma, obesity, and/or cardiovascular disease). Very rarely in the studies we cited was OC spray deemed a contributory or sole cause of death; instead, medical practitioners point to various combinations of these pre-existing factors. The literature review identified several factors that appear to be commonly associated with the deployment of OC spray. These include: the presence of Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDS), positional asphyxia (especially related to hobble or hog-tie restraint positions), pre-existing health conditions such as asthma and obesity, and drug use (most commonly, psychostimulants such as cocaine). Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2018. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: 2018 No. R-405: Accessed March 13, 2018 at: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/scc-csc/PS83-3-405-eng.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Canada URL: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/scc-csc/PS83-3-405-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 149458 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareInjuriesOleoresin CapsicumPepper Spray |
Author: INQUEST Title: Still Dying on the Inside: Examining deaths in women's prisons Summary: Emily Hartley, aged 21, was the youngest of 22 women to die in prison in 2016, the year that saw the highest annual number of deaths in women's prisons on record. Emily was imprisoned for arson, having set fire to herself, her bed and curtains. She had a history of serious mental ill-health including self-harm, suicide attempts and drug addiction. This was Emily's first time in prison. A prison that could not keep her safe. A sentence that cost her life. On 1st February 2018 the inquest investigating Emily's self-inflicted death concluded with deeply critical findings about her care and the failure to transfer her to a therapeutic setting. What made her premature and preventable death all the more shocking is that ten years to the day of Emily's inquest, the same coroner had dealt with a strikingly similar death, that of Petra Blanksby. Nineteen year-old Petra was imprisoned for an arson offence, having set fire to her bedroom in an attempt to take her own life. Two women, ten years apart, criminalised for being mentally unwell. Petra too, had a history of mental ill health and suicide attempts. At the end of her inquest in 2008, the coroner recommended to the Prison Service and Department of Health they should deal with the lack of secure therapeutic facilities outside prison. At the conclusion of Emily's inquest, the same coroner David Hinchliff wrote: "I repeat ten years later that the Prison's Department and the Department of Health should conduct a collaborative exercise to achieve the provision of suitable, secure, therapeutic environments in order to treat those with mental health problems". Eleven years after the publication of Baroness Corston's seminal review in 2007 of women in the criminal justice system, the situation has never felt so desperate. It is with anger, sadness and deep frustration that we report almost no progress on the necessary systemic and structural change needed. Ninety-three women have died in women's prisons since March 2007. The casework team at INQUEST continue to support families whose daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts and grandmothers have died. The harms of imprisonment follow women back into the community, as demonstrated by the fact that 116 women died after release from prison between 2010 and 2017. INQUEST's work with bereaved families seeks to make visible the women behind the statistics and the structural issues behind their criminalisation and imprisonment. We seek to show the human face of this pernicious social problem, because so many of these deaths are preventable. They raise profound concerns about human rights violations - not only the failure to provide a safe and dignified environment, but also the failure to act to prevent further deaths, an aspiration that unites all bereaved families. The women's names memorialised in this report are a stark reminder of the tragic human consequences of the failure of successive governments to take seriously the needs of women experiencing a range of health, economic and social inequalities. They also speak to institutional state violence and how our prisons today systematically generate pain and suffering and how they can lead to death. This report provides unique insight into deaths in women's prisons. It is empirically grounded in (1) an examination of official data; (2) INQUEST's original research and casework; and (3) an analysis of coroners' 'Prevention of Future Death' reports and narrative jury findings. This evidence has been strengthened by the facilitation of families' legal representation and the more effective participation of the bereaved. This has led to more searching questions at inquests and has shone a light on the shocking reality of women's experiences in the criminal justice system. Details: London: INQUEST, 2018. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 8, 2018 at: https://www.inquest.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=8d39dc1d-02f7-48eb-b9ac-2c063d01656a Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.inquest.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=8d39dc1d-02f7-48eb-b9ac-2c063d01656a Shelf Number: 150106 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersMental Health ServicesPrison Suicides |
Author: Ticehurst, Andrew Title: National Deaths in Custody Program: Deaths in custody in Australia 2013-14 and 2014-15 Summary: The National Deaths in Custody Program (NDICP) collects information on deaths that occurred in prison, in police custody and in custody-related operations throughout Australia. This report presents data on the number of deaths in custody that occurred during 2013-14 and 2014-15 and trend data on deaths in prison custody (from 1979-80) and police custody and custody-related operations (from 1989-90). As no deaths occurred in youth detention during the reporting period, these data are not presented. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2018. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Statistical Report 05: Accessed May 10, 2018 at: https://aic.gov.au/publications/special/special5 Year: 2018 Country: Australia URL: https://aic.gov.au/publications/special/special5 Shelf Number: 150143 Keywords: AboriginalsDeaths in CustodyIndigenous PeoplesInmate DeathsPrisoners |
Author: Ludlow, Amy Title: Self-inflicted Deaths in NOMS' Custody Amongst 18-24 Year Olds: Staff Experience, Knowledge and Views Summary: This Report presents the findings of research into self-inflicted deaths (SID) in custody amongst 18-24 year olds in National Offender Management Service (NOMS) custody in England and Wales. This research was commissioned by the Harris Review into Self-Inflicted Deaths In Custody Amongst 18-24 Year Olds, and was undertaken by RAND Europe and the Prisons Research Centre, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge. This research focused on staff experience, knowledge and views, which have been gathered through interviews and observations at five prisons in England and Wales. The document will be of interest to government, civil society and academic audiences interested in improving prisoner wellbeing and safety generally and SID reduction and risk management specifically. The Report consists of seven sections that address the research questions set out by the Harris Review. Sections 1 and 2 provide an overview of the background, context and methods of the study. Sections 3-6 present the findings of the study relating to four key themes - how staff conceive of risk of SID, how SID risk is managed, staff training and institutional and individual responses to SID. The report closes with a review of promising practice and areas for improvement based on staff suggestions. Details: Santa Monica, CA: Cambridge, UK: RAND Europe and the University of Cambridge, 2015. 102p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 11, 2018 at: http://iapdeathsincustody.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Self-Inflicted-Deaths-in-NOMS%E2%80%99-Custody-amongst-18%E2%80%9324-Year-Olds-Staff-Experience-Knowledge-and-Views.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://iapdeathsincustody.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Self-Inflicted-Deaths-in-NOMS%E2%80%99-Custody-amongst-18%E2%80%9324-Year-Olds-Staff-Experience-Knowledge-and-Views.pdf Shelf Number: 150162 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyPrison SuicidesSuicides |
Author: Barry, Colette Title: Encountering Death in the Prison; An Exploration of Irish Prison Staff Experiences, Emotions and Engagements With Support. Summary: This thesis examines prison staff experiences of the deaths of prisoners in custody. It explores staff accounts of their encounters with prisoner deaths, their emotional responses to these incidents and their engagement with support in the aftermath of their experiences. This thesis represents the first Irish research focused exclusively on prison staff encounters with prisoner deaths. In so doing, it illuminates Irish prison staff practices, sensibilities and traditions. Despite increasing scholarship on the working lives and traditions of prison staff, and greater awareness arising from a small number of studies of staff experiences of prisoner suicide, there remains little research exploring prison staff encounters with prisoner deaths. This thesis seeks to address this gap by presenting an exploration of Irish prison staff experiences of prisoner deaths in custody. It also builds on existing research by offering the first account of prison staff encounters with prisoner deaths by examining causes of death in addition to that of suicide. A qualitative research design is employed, consisting of in-depth semi-structured interviews with 17 serving and retired Irish prison staff who have experienced a death in custody. This thesis charts the chronology of participants' encounters with prisoner deaths, analysing their accounts of the emergency response to deaths in custody before moving to consider the immediate and long-term aftermath of these incidents in individual and institutional contexts. The thesis finds that the norms of solidarity and insularity, identified in the extant prison work literature as central tenets of the occupational culture of prison staff, direct staff responses and attitudes in these situations. The findings highlight participants' perceptions of blame and concerns about a risk of personal liability in shaping their perspectives on prisoner deaths, the prisoner population and the prison authorities. This thesis additionally contends that a death in custody calls upon staff to not only manage the incident, but also their own emotional reactions and vulnerabilities. Shared expectations regarding the management of emotional responses to prisoner deaths promote the necessity of concealing post-incident vulnerabilities inside the prison. The thesis argues that the implications of involvement with a death in custody can often find life beyond the boundaries of the prison walls. Details: Dublin: Dublin Institute of Technology, 2017. 410p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed may 11, 2018 at: https://arrow.dit.ie/appadoc/77/ Year: 2017 Country: Ireland URL: https://arrow.dit.ie/appadoc/77/ Shelf Number: 150164 Keywords: Corrections OfficersDeaths in CustodyPrison GuardsPrisoner Deaths |
Author: Harrison, Poppy Elizabeth Title: Assessing the harm inside: a study contextualising boys' self-harm in custody Summary: Concerns about suicide and self-harm in English prisons are not new (Third report of the commissioners of prisons, 1880, cited in Liebling, 1992). However, a distinct system of intervention and custody for children (as established by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998) is relatively modern, and as such contextual studies about self-harm have largely, to date, overlooked children as a discrete group existing within a separate framework from adults. Similarly, large-scale research exploring self-harm among children in community settings has largely excluded the group of marginalised young people who come to the attention of youth justice services. This study presents a unique analysis of 181 youth justice assessments ('Assets') for boys who were remanded or sentenced to custody in under-18 Young Offender Institutions during 2014-15, tracing the subjects of the assessments from the communities they offended in through to a period in custody, using incident reports completed whilst they were there. What results is a contextual study examining the characteristics of the boys and their behaviour in custody. The study considers two central hypotheses: first, that to result in meaningful and supportive interventions, a definition of self-harm among the boys in the research sample often needs to include the harm they have done to their own lives (what the middle classes might call their 'prospects') through offending, and, second, that children who display the common traits of self-harming behaviour in custody may be identifiable by a different set of characteristics and needs from those who self-harm in the community. The author concludes that there is a previously undefined set of risk factors which can be applied to children who self-harm in custody for the first time, moving beyond the known risks associated with adolescent self-harm in the general population. Furthermore, it is found that boys who self-harm in custody are often doing so to exercise agency in an environment where they have very limited power, in circumstances defined not only by the restriction of liberty they are experiencing, but by the difficulties they experienced before coming to custody. Recommendations are made as to how policy-makers, through the current reforms to the youth justice system and a revised approach to assessments upon entry to custody, and practitioners, through increased awareness and improved recording of children's views can more appropriately intervene in these boys' lives to benefit them and society more widely. Details: Luton, UK: University of Bedfordshire, 2016. 259p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 21, 2018 at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/77614088.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/77614088.pdf Shelf Number: 150280 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyJuvenile DetentionPrison SuicideSuicideYouth Custody |
Author: Creedon, Mick Title: Operation Herne: Special Demonstration Squad Reporting: Mentions of Sensitive Campaigns Summary: Introduction Operation Herne is the title given to the independent investigation led by Derbyshire's Chief Constable Mick Creedon QPM into the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS). The SDS was a covert unit of the Metropolitan Police Special Branch (MPSB). Operation Herne's terms of reference are to review the former SDS from its origin in 1968 to its closure in 2008, examining how it operated throughout its existence. This report examines "collateral reporting" and "mentions" of Justice Campaigns recorded within SDS intelligence submissions. Following the Peter Francis allegations that the SDS targeted the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, Operation Herne has investigated the extent of similar information held within SDS documentation. This report will refer to SDS reporting on a number of Justice Campaigns. A "Justice Campaign" would usually form as a result of family or public concerns surrounding the: - Investigation, detention or treatment of a subject who died in police custody, - Investigation, detention or treatment of a subject who died following police contact - Victim of a murder - High profile prosecution or investigation - Miscarriages of Justice The majority of these cases involved black males, hence the commonly used term "Black Justice Campaign." Operation Herne has identified emerging evidence that in addition to the Stephen Lawrence Campaign, a number of other Justice Campaigns have been mentioned within SDS records. Seventeen such Justice Campaigns have been identified so far. These range between 1970 and 2005 and are as a result of deaths in police custody, following police contact and the victims of murders. It is the intention of Chief Constable Creedon and Operation Herne to inform all of the families involved and share, where possible the knowledge and information held. This process will inevitably take time to research and complete given the historical profile of many of the events and the natural difficulties in tracing some families. The work to identify such families or campaigns continues and those identified will be personally appraised of the detail by investigators from Operation Herne. Details: Ashbourne, UK: Derbyshire Constabulary, 2014. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 16, 2019 at: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2014/jul/uk-2014-07-op-herne-report-3-sds.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2014/jul/uk-2014-07-op-herne-report-3-sds.pdf Shelf Number: 154219 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationDeaths in CustodyJustice CampaignMetropolitan Police Special BranchOperation HernePolice CustodyPolice MisconductSpecial Demonstration Squad |
Author: Wetchler, Everett Title: Fact Sheet: Officer-Involved Shootings and Custodial Deaths in Texas Summary: Since 2005, there have been 8,730 deaths of civilians in the custody of Texas law enforcement. In the past decade, officer-involved shootings in Texas have been on the rise. Data obtained from the Texas Office of the Attorney General shows that since Sept. 1, 2015, there have been 466 civilians shot by Texas law enforcement, and 78 officers have been shot. Officers involved in shootings skew younger and male than the general population of Texas law enforcement officers. Overall, most deaths that occur in Texas law enforcement custody are due to natural causes, but that nearly half of all deaths of inmates housed alone in a jail cell are suicides. Details: Austin, Texas: Texas Justice Initiative, 2018. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 17, 2019 at: http://texasjusticeinitiative.org/publications/ Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d2UBGXA_5YSv6TdcTZLrGe2X3zUBU3QR/view Shelf Number: 154986 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyJailOfficer Involved FatalitiesOfficer Involved ShootingsPolice Accountability Police BrutalityPolice ShootingsPolice Use of Deadly ForcePolice Use of Force Police-Citizen Encounters Suicide |