SCOTLAND’S Justice Secretary has agreed that an independent body should carry out a separate investigation into every prison death after a stark report was labelled “a wake-up call and catalyst for change”.
Keith Brown told MSPs that the Scottish Government has accepted in principle all recommendations of an independent review of the response to deaths in prison custody as he acknowledged the current system “lacks the compassion that we might expect”.
The review recommended a wide-ranging set of “systemic, practical and compassionate” changes to radically improve how deaths in prison custody are responded to in Scotland.
The report said: “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.”
The recommendations include that an independent investigation should be instigated as soon as possible after the death, be completed within a matter of months and must involve the families or next of kin of those who have died in prison custody.
Speaking in Holyrood, Mr Brown said: “We accept in principle the review’s recommendations and will very carefully consider the detail of these and take forward as a matter of priority improvements with key partners that will effect change to improve the ways that deaths of loved ones in prison custody are experienced by bereaved families.
“This includes the key recommendation of an independent body separately examining every death in custody.
“We are committed to making improvements to the response to, and experiences of, families impacted by a death in custody.”
But Tory justice spokesperson, Jamie Greene, said: “This report paints a grim picture of systemic failings and how we deal with and prevent this in custody, many of which go unknown and unnoticed – those with mental health problems who died of suicide or drug overdoses in our prisons, the silent victims of our justice system 39 of them so far this year. Their families have been let down on so many levels, so many times.
“Most worryingly of all though, this report says that little has been done right now to learn lessons and prevent future deaths and I hope that this report is a real wake-up call and a catalyst for change.
“Can I ask the Cabinet Secretary, given the main recommendations for an independent new body to oversee investigations into deaths in custody, how will this remove, augment or duplicate work, which is the current remit of the Crown and existing bodies?”
Mr Brown stressed that “we have to learn continuously and not forget lessons which have previously been learned”.
He added: “In the discussions which I had with both the authors of the report and the law officers last week, we've all acknowledged that there's going to be have to be substantial work involved in the Crown Office involving the Lord Advocate and various other bodies to make sure this can fit Scotland’s constitutional position in relation to FAIs.
“So that is a real concern. I can't answer this just now. All I would say is those discussions will take place we will make sure that one does not trip over the other.”
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