Prison Service condemned by Louise Giles inquest jury  

The inquest into the death of 20 year old Louise Giles concluded today with the jury returning a highly critical narrative verdict saying she died an accidental death and that the cause of death was strangulation by ligature. They then said: She died at 0010 hours on 21st August 2005 at I Wing at HMP Durham. Having deliberated over the evidence presented in court we the jury have unanimously agreed to the following concerns:

• Prison conditions on I Wing were unsuitable for Louise Giles this includes inadequate mental health care provision.
• There was insufficient guidance and organisational input throughout the management system.
• There was insufficient representation from I Wing and healthcare professionals at health and risk management meetings.
• The judgement of wing staff who were inadequately trained in mental health issues was heavily relied upon, resulting in inappropriate care for Louise.
• The management and implementation of the 2052SH cases reviews was inadequate and support plans unclear for staff to follow.
• There was a delayed reaction to the urgent recommendations from various bodies to close I Wing.
• We believe that on the nights leading up to and including the night of Louise’s death she was not appropriately cared for. Signs of emotional distress were overlooked.

The Coroner said that he would be considering whether he would make any rule 43 report. He also agreed, at the request of the family’s barrister, to consider writing to the Director General of the Prison Service about the suppression of documents which became apparent during the inquest.

The family of Louise Giles stated in response to the jury verdict:

"Having heard the evidence, we are appalled that Louise was ever sent to ‘I’ Wing when the Women’s Team at Prison Service Headquarters had produced a damning report into the conditions on the wing in March 2005. We are angry that the inquest did not consider policy issues concerning the placement of young mentally ill female offenders. We hope the evidence that has been heard regarding the conditions women were kept in at HMP Durham, which we have given evidence about to the Corston review, will influence the government in its response to the recommendations of the Corston Review and that mentally ill women are diverted from custody. We thank the jury for their careful consideration of the evidence and their obvious concern about the plight of women like Louise in the criminal justice system. "

Deborah Coles, co-director of INQUEST said:

"Louise Giles died as a direct result of the failure of Prison Service officials and Ministers to act on the clear warnings that there was a real risk of suicide unless action was taken. Their complacency and inaction is a clear case of corporate manslaughter for which the Prison Service should be brought to account. Punishing women with severe mental problems by incarcerating them in such alienating conditions was cruel inhuman and degrading treatment. Already this year 7 women have taken their own lives in prison. The government’s response to the Corston review is characterised by delaying tactics: more reviews and no resources when the evidence is abundantly clear that without urgent action more women will die."

Background to the case

Louise Giles was one of only six women held in high security conditions pending the wing’s closure in September 2005.

Evidence was heard at the inquest that the consultant psychiatrist treating Louise firmly believed that her mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia) was such that she should have been admitted to a secure psychiatric unit. She was a prolific self harmer and during her time at Durham there were 23 reported incidents of self harm. In the last week of Louise’s life she had been downgraded to ‘basic’ regime, staff having removed her television and radio despite knowing that these had been a major distraction from the voices telling her to harm herself.

Evidence from the psychiatrist, RMN and health care was that her mental illness meant that she was not in control of her own behaviour and therefore incapable of complying with instructions. Prison staff appeared ignorant of her condition and interpreted her as being 'lazy, dirty and idle'. To downgrade her to basic regime was in effect to punish her for behaviour she couldn't help.

Reports warn of risk of suicide.

In 2004, following a highly critical report by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) the Prison Service announced it would close HMP Durham women’s prison and the majority of the 120 women previously located at Durham were moved to other women’s prisons.

A report from the Women’s Policy Team of the Prison Service in March 2005 following its visit to Durham concluded that: `….women’s distress level was very high and that it has the potential to increase so significantly in the short term future that suicide will be a real risk unless some significant changes are made very quickly’.

However, in June 2005 HMCIP carried out a further inspection of I Wing and their report gave a stark warning about the increased risk of suicide and noted ‘The Prison Service itself was well aware that the situation was having a seriously damaging effect on the few remaining prisoners.’ The report criticised many aspects of the regime: staff often waking prisoners with hourly night-time checks, unnecessary strip searches, bullying by staff, a lack of policies on drugs, race or suicide prevention and a mainly male staff contingent. The report also stated that incidents of self-harm involving women were not properly discussed at the suicide prevention meeting of the whole prison.

The wing was described by both prisoners and staff as a tense, claustrophobic and oppressive environment in which both groups felt they had been abandoned ‘out of the line of sight of the overall management of the prison’.

The inquest jury heard that not a single significant change was made in response to either reports and that I wing remained open although expected to be closed in September. All prison staff conceded that I wing for much of its existence suffered from a lack of management at both a local and national level and was an inappropriate environment for mentally vulnerable young women like Louise.

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The family were represented INQUEST Lawyers group members barrister Nick Stanage from Garden Court North Chambers instructed by Fiona Borrill of Lester Morrill Solicitors .

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Media coverage

> Prison doesn't work - Private Eye, No 1203 8-21 February 2008 (Article highlights cases of Lisa Marley, Petra Blanksby and Louise Giles).

> Prison service "failed" woman who killed herself - The Independent (11/12/07)

> Inmate death prison "was warned" - BBC News (14/11/07)

Quick links

> For more information on INQUEST go to www.inquest.org.uk

> click here for full pre-Inquest press release on INQUEST website

> other inquest news stories