The death of a Glasgow woman who was arrested after being found wandering the streets in her vomit-stained pyjamas has been highlighted in a damning report into prison deaths.
A report by The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research found that a record number of people died in prison over the last two years with the chances of a person dying in prison in 2022 double that than for someone in 2008.
The case of Caroline McLeod is highlighted in the report which raises questions over the detention of 'unwell people who did not clearly present a threat to public safety'.
Read more: James McAvoy 'scunnered' with Glasgow after co-stars 'racially abused' during theatre run
The 42-year-old was arrested by police after members of the public reported finding her looking confused and cold while standing in a common close in September 2019.
Officers who arrived on the scene checked her record and noted that she had outstanding warrants for theft and arrested her. Caroline was then moved to three different police offices in the city over several hours with each flagging on her record that she was 'high-risk' and needed to be seen by a healthcare professional.
The comments were missed and Caroline was taken to court where she spent several hours waiting in a holding cell. By the time of her appearance later in the day, she couldn't stand or walk unaided and was placed in a wheelchair.
She was described as 'slumped in the wheelchair' as the sheriff denied her bail. After the hearing, she was returned to the holding cell where her health deteriorated for another two hours.
Paramedics were then called and she was taken to hospital where she was found to meet, the criteria for sepsis and had pneumonia in both lungs. After being taken to intensive care, it was also found that her small bowel had died due to a lack of blood supply. She died six days later.
A Fatal Accident Inquiry concluded that it would "not be reasonable for non-medically trained personnel in the absence of Ms McLeod complaining of ill-health to detect or diagnose Ms McLeod's underlying health condition based on her clinical presentation during her time in custody."
A report by the same authors last year examined around 200 fatal accident inquiries (FAI) into deaths in prison across a 15-year period. They found that in 90% of cases, sheriffs determined nothing could be done to prevent or foresee the prisoner's death.
One year on and the problems identified with FAIs remain unchanged, the new Nothing to See Here? report said.
The report adds that Caroline's case "raises issues of care and dignity in custody".
The report authors include Linda and Stuart Allan, whose 21-year-old student daughter Katie took her own life in Polmont prison in 2018 after she was jailed for a hit-and-run incident. It also raises questions about the efficacy of the Scottish Prison Service’s preventative suicide strategy called ‘Talk to Me’. Since its introduction in late 2016 suicide rates in prison have increased by 42%.
It concludes that deaths are continuing to rise, "accelerating during the pandemic for reasons beyond covid, and FAIs are continuing to take years with the same low rate of determining nothing could, or can, be done.
"The analysis of this public data raises some significant questions about the quality and contribution of the only public system of death investigation in Scotland for those who die in the state’s custody, and one wonders how Scotland’s high level of death in prison can be addressed in the absence of consistent oversight of the operation and outcomes of death investigations."
Co-author of the report, Professor Sarah Armstrong, University of Glasgow, said continued covid restrictions has led to prisoners becoming isolated and distressed.
“There are very few mandatory covid restrictions affecting people outside prison, but these continue inside Scottish prisons, including reduced face-to-face visiting, less opportunities to spend time outside of cells, and fewer members of staffing. After many years of research, it is widely accepted that this kind of prolonged isolation causes significant mental distress.
“While the numbers of people dying in prisons remains deeply disturbing, the fact it has accelerated under these conditions and led to more deaths from causes associated with distress, despair and isolation such as suicide and drug-related deaths, is not surprising.
“We would therefore urge the Scottish Prison Service to take urgent action to lift those restrictions and make improving mental health a priority for those in prison.”
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “We recognise the profound emotional distress experienced by families when a loved one dies in custody.
“Our vision is for people within our care to have the best possible health and wellbeing and, where mental health problems do occur, that they get the respect, support, treatment, and care they require.
“We work closely with NHS partners to develop individualised plans, and provide contact with Samaritans, where trained Listeners provide additional support. Talk To Me, developed in partnership with experts in suicide prevention, in line with the Scottish Government’s National Suicide Prevention Strategy, provides person-centred care for those most at risk.
“We have an increasingly complex population, with more older people in our care, who have the same health and care challenges as in the wider community, as well as high levels of health inequalities, mental health problems, and addiction issues.
“We continue to work with partner agencies to deliver overdose awareness activities, recovery cafes, and wider support services, and we have introduced a ‘Prison 2 Rehab’ pathway, which provides access to rehabilitation programmes directly from the point of liberation.
“And the introduction of photocopying of mail has led to a significant fall in both incidents of drug-taking, and emergency ambulance calls related to illicit substance use.”
READ NEXT -
Police search gardens as man rushed to hospital after east end 'disturbance'
Glasgow woman cleared of stabbing ex-best pal outside east end primary school
Former Celtic youth coach pervert Jim McCafferty dies in prison
Man charged with 'stabbing' after car 'crashes into swings' at Renfrewshire play park
Ex-Celtic star Nir Britton caught doing 95mph on Glasgow motorway in Audi sports car
