23rd June 2011
The Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Pauline McCabe, recently published her report into the death of 19-year-old Allyn Baxter, who died by suicide while in the custody of Hydebank Wood Prison and Young Offender’s Centre on 3rd August, 2010. In her report, the Prisoner Ombudsman makes very clear statements against 22-hr lock up for young prisoners: "Long periods of lockdown, in my view, do nothing to address offending behaviour and are the enemy of the vulnerable."
This case from Northern ireland is an almost unspeakably sad snapshot of the reality of imprisonment for vulnerable young people. Allyn Baxter suffered a tragic childhood with the loss of his mother at a very young age and unstable care during his childhood - factors which we can assume contributed to a growing problem with alcohol, drugs and self-harm during his adolescence.
Detained in early June 2010 for six days for not paying a fine related to a tv licence when he was just 19, he stated he would kill himself if ever imprisoned again. He overdosed three times over the following weeks and was again imprisoned at the end of July following a public order incident.
In a forensic analysis of everything that happened over the following days while at Hydebank, the NI Prisoner Ombudsman focussed on the deterioration of Allyn’s state of mind when subjected to extensive lock-up times on the fourth and fifth day in prison; the Ombudsman also linked Allyn Baxter’s death to other deaths during the first days of detention. Familiar failings in the management of medical records and appropriate weighting of risks for vulnerable prisoners were identified, and one is left with a truly depressing story of a young man who suffered from a complex set of problems, but whose death could have been avoided.
What is also striking about this tragic case, is that the NI Prisoner Ombudsman has provided a comprehensive report examining all aspects of this case, and making detailed recommendations, within a year of the death occurring: this stands in particularly sharp contrast to the appalling delays in investigating deaths in prison here. If ever there was a case to prove the value of a prisoner ombudsman body to investigate such deaths, then the tragic story of Allyn Baxter is that.
Read more:
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.