Inquiry launched into death of woman at Derbyshire prison

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/oct/13/inquiry-launched-into-death-of-woman-at-derbyshire-prison

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An investigation has been launched after a 26-year-old woman died at a Derbyshire prison.

The woman, named as Caria Hart, was a prisoner at HMP Foston Hall, the Prison Service said. She died in hospital on Saturday. There were claims on social media that female inmates at the prison had been locked in their cells after the young woman’s death.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) is investigating the death.

The news of the latest death emerged a week after the Guardian revealed that a newborn baby had died in a cell at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey after the mother gave birth alone in the cell overnight. Eleven separate inquiries into the baby’s death have been announced.

One hundred and nine women have now died in prison since the 2007 publication of the Corston report, which called for major changes in the way women in prison are looked after..

Foston Hall prison has faced previous criticisms over deaths of inmates. An inquest into the death of Caroline Ann Hunt there in 2017 found serious failings in the way she was managed and cared for.

The PPO, which investigates deaths in prison, probation and immigration detention, last week released its annual report.

The report highlights that in 2018-2019 the PPO opened fatal incident investigations after 334 deaths, 6% more than in the previous year and the second highest annual figure since the PPO started investigating deaths in 2004. There were 11 deaths in women’s prisons, an increase from eight the previous year.

A report in June by HM Inspectorate of Prisons into HMP Foston Hall identified positive findings, although it highlighted that two female inmates had killed themselves since 2016.

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Deborah Coles, the director of the charity Inquest, said: “The death of a young woman must be subject to the most searching scrutiny, not least given that HMP Foston Hall has been the subject of serious criticism as a result of previous deaths. The death of Caria Hart also reignites concerns about the lack of structural change since the Corston report.

“Caria becomes the 109th woman to die in prison since the Corston review. So many deaths are the result of neglect and a criminal justice system that continues to incarcerate people in unsafe prisons. Until we abolish prisons the deaths and harms will continue.”

A Prison Service spokesman said: “HMP Foston Hall prisoner Caria Hart died in hospital on 12 October. Our thoughts are with her family and friends. As with all deaths in custody there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.”