Protecting the human rights of vulnerable women: A spotlight on deaths of women in prison
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550509346510 |
| Author | Deborah Coles |
| Date | 01 March 2010 |
| Published date | 01 March 2010 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice
Copyright © 2010 NAPO Vol 57(1): 75–82
DOI: 10.1177/0264550509346510
www.napo.org.uk
http://prb.sagepub.com
Protecting the human rights of
vulnerable women: A spotlight on
deaths of women in prison
Deborah Coles, Co-Director of INQUEST
Abstract In this comment piece the author examines trends in self-infl icted deaths
of women in custody and argues that not only is prison an inappropriate response
to the problems faced by these women but that current polices are failing to protect
their basic human rights.
Keywords human rights, mental illness, self-harm, suicide attempts, women
prisoners
Working alongside bereaved families, INQUEST has been instrumental in drawing
national and international attention to the issues arising from the deaths of women
in prison and their investigation. It is clear from INQUEST’s monitoring and analy-
sis of deaths in custody that understanding why these deaths occur requires an
examination of their broader social and political context. No discussion of deaths
of women in prison can ignore the regimes and conditions operating in prisons, or
criminal justice and social policies which result in the imprisonment of the mentally
ill and vulnerable in institutions ill-equipped and ill-resourced to deal with their
complex needs.
Deaths in custody are a particularly acute human rights issue . . . all of us has a
right to life and the state has a duty of care when someone is put into captivity, yet
we see a catalogue of failures to protect life (Baroness Stern, 2008).
Despite being a serious human rights issue which has generated signifi cant
parliamentary interest and disquiet, the deaths of women in prison is a hugely
under-researched area. INQUEST’s book Dying on the Inside: Examining Women’s
Deaths in Prison (Sandler and Coles, 2008) is the fi rst comprehensive study of
women’s deaths in prison in England and Wales between 1990 and 2007 and
has enabled a more systematic review of cases which highlight recurring themes.
75
76
57(1)
Practitioners in the fi eld will not be surprised by the shamefully familiar picture of
preventable tragedies and the book provides incontrovertible evidence of serious
human rights abuses of women prisoners and abject failures in the criminal justice
system. Uniquely, it brings to the discussion the views of bereaved families and thus
speaks of the women who have died as individuals, daughters, sisters, partners,
and mothers; not simply as statistics.
The emotional impact of a death in custody on families should not be forgotten,
nor the way it is exacerbated by state secrecy, insensitivity, delays, funding problems
and lack of accountability. Families are motivated by a desire to ensure account-
able learning and prevent future deaths. INQUEST’s involvement with families by
enabling their legal representation at inquests has been critical in ensuring that a
more challenging series of questions have been raised about custodial deaths.
The high levels of distress and vulnerability of women in prison and the associ-
ated high levels of suicide and self harm/suicide attempts are well documented.
Since 1990 there have been 122 deaths of women in prison of which 91 were
self-infl icted. Self injury rates among women in prison rose by nearly 50 per cent
between 2003 and 2007 and around 50 per cent of all self harm incidents in
prison are committed by women despite constituting only 5 per cent of the prison
population.
Women who die in prison are disproportionately likely to be young, substance
misusers, already identifi ed as at risk of suicide on arrival in prison, on remand or
in the early stages of imprisonment and also mothers (Sandler and Coles, 2008).
The majority are held for non-violent offences and most women serve very short
sentences. In 2007 nearly two-thirds of women were sentenced to prison for less
than six months. Women in prison are amongst the most disadvantaged and vulner-
able women in society. This is largely due to the presence of the following factors in
their lives: drug and alcohol misuse, mental illness, personality disorders, self harm,
periods of homelessness, poverty, lack of education, time spent in care, sexual
and physical abuse and domestic violence, single parenting and separation from
children.
Taking the most hurt people out of society and punishing them in order to...
To continue reading
Request your trial