19 January 2018

HM Inspectorate of Prisons is to publish a damning inspection report on HMP Liverpool, to be published here on 19 January. HMP Liverpool has had the second highest number of self-inflicted deaths of any prison in England and Wales over the last ten years.

INQUEST has worked with numerous families bereaved by a death in HMP Liverpool. Recent inquest conclusions have shown evidence of systemic neglect and repeated serious failings by prison staff and managers, including failing to implement suicide and self-harm monitoring policies (known as ACCT). Inquests have also found that violence and bullying have contributed to self-inflicted deaths.

Deborah Coles, Director of INQUEST said:

“This report is one of the most shocking indictments of a prison in many years. Institutional neglect, violence, bullying, and inhumane conditions at HMP Liverpool have been highlighted time and time again at recent inquests. The prison has had the second highest number of self-inflicted deaths of any prison in England and Wales. HMP Liverpool is responsible for fulfilling the state’s duty of care to prisoners, which this report shows they are clearly failing to do. How many more critical reports, recommendations and preventable deaths will it take for the government to take action? All the evidence speaks to a broken prison within a broken system.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information, please contact Lucy McKay here. 

INQUEST has worked with numerous families of those who died in HMP Liverpool, alongside their legal representatives, including on the following recent cases. More information on each death can be found in the media release on each inquest conclusion:

• Carl Newman, 23, died of a self-inflicted death on 6 October 2017, just a month after the inspectors left. We await the inquest into his death.
• John Duffey died in July 2016. The inquest concluded that bullying, debt and drug abuse in HMP Liverpool exacerbated the conditions that led to the death of John Neil Duffey, (Media release, November 2017)
• Sam Molyneaux died in April 2016. The inquest concluded bullying contributed to his death, (Media release, September 2017)
• Edwin ‘Ned’ O’Donnell died in October 2016. The inquest jury found neglect contributed to his death, (Media release, July 2017)
• Ashley Gill died in April 2015. An inquest jury found that neglect contributed to his death, (Media release, September 2016)
• Lee Rushton died in January 2015. An inquest jury found neglect contributed to his death in damning narrative conclusion, (Media release, May 2016)

Deaths in HMP Liverpool:

• HMP Liverpool has had the second highest number of self-inflicted deaths of any prison in England and Wales in the last ten years. HMP Woodhill has had the highest number.
• In 2017 there were four deaths in HMP Liverpool, three self-inflicted and one awaiting classification.
• In the five years from January 2012 to December 2017, 31 people died in HMP Liverpool. Of these, 14 deaths were self-inflicted and two await classification.