EVERY death in prison should be investigated by an independent body, the Justice Secretary has said.
Keith Brown publicly backed plans for an independent organisation to carry out a separate death investigation of people in custody after acknowledging the current system “lacks the compassion that we might expect”.
It follows a review into how to improve the response to deaths in prison that involved interviews with affected families, prison staff and NHS representatives.
A key recommendation of the Independent Review of the Response to Deaths in Prison Custody was that an external organisation should investigate any death and complete any report within months.
READ MORE: Scottish Government opens consultation on use of prisons
Bereaved family or next of kin should be allowed to be involved in the process and investigators should have “unfettered access” to data, evidence and information, according to the recommendations. Commissioned by former justice secretary Humza Yousaf, in November 2019, the report makes recommendations on a wide-ranging set of “systemic, practical and compassionate” changes aimed at improving responses to deaths in prison custody.
The report states: “Two pillars of trauma-informed practice are choice and control.
“Our review showed clearly that families bereaved through a death in prison custody have neither.”
Speaking about the report’s publication in Holyrood, Brown agreed it was clear that “systemic and operational changes were needed” but that they should not replace existing bodies. While not he had not yet fully considered the details and implications of all the report’s findings, Brown accepted them “in principle”.
He continued: “In respect to the key recommendation, I agree that an independent body should carry out an investigation into every death in custody.
READ MORE: Fresh demand to cut jail numbers as SNP members want 'Finnish' focus on rehab
“The recommendation is that an independent investigative body which immediately starts a process of engaging with the family and the agencies could provide transparent and prompt information to families at an early stage, much better meeting the needs of bereaved families.
“Families want to know as quickly as possible how their loved one died and what the circumstances of their deaths were.
“This would complement the independent investigation by the Crown Office as to the circumstances of the death.”
The review was co-chaired by Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, chief inspector of prisons for Scotland, Professor Nancy Loucks, chief executive of Families Outside, and Judith Robertson, chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here