7 Deaths in custody and prison conditions
145. The previous JCHR conducted a comprehensive
inquiry into the human rights implications of deaths in custody
in the last Parliament. That Committee's principal recommendation
was that a cross-departmental expert task force on deaths in custody
should be established to undertake various functions to ensure
best practice in preventing deaths across all custodial institutions.[196]
In response, the Government announced that in addition to existing
groups co-ordinating policy on deaths in custody, a new multi-agency
group initiated by the IPCC was being established.[197]
We welcomed the establishment of this group, while noting that
the previous Committee's recommendation had not been accepted,
and we have undertaken to keep the matter under review.
146. The Concluding Observations, which expressed
general concerns about prison conditions and deaths in custody
in the UK, raised a particular concern about conditions of detention
for women prisoners at Hydebank Wood prison, Northern Ireland.[198]
These concerns arose out of research conducted by the Northern
Ireland Human Rights Commission into the conditions of detention
in Northern Ireland women's prisons,[199]
which found, amongst other things, that conditions in the segregation
block in the women's unit at Maghaberry prison were inhuman and
degrading and risked breach of Article 3 ECHR; that segregation
in punishment cells was being used inappropriately; that women
at the unit were subject to routine sexual harassment from male
prisoners and staff; that healthcare was grossly inadequate and
that suicide prevention was insufficient. In response to criticism
of Maghaberry women's unit from the NIHRC and the Chief Inspector
of Prisons, women prisoners were transferred to Hydebank Wood,
a male young offender's unit, in 2004. Both the NIHRC, and the
Criminal Justice Inspectorate for Northern Ireland,[200]
concluded however that conditions for women at Hydebank Wood were
not substantially better than at Maghaberry, and that Hydebank
Wood was an unsuitable environment for women prisoners. The Criminal
Justice Inspectorate recommended that a separate prison should
be provided for women in Northern Ireland.
147. In evidence Shaun Woodward MP pointed to a number
of developments within the Northern Ireland Prison Service to
establish gender-specific policies and programmes which would
benefit women prisoners.[201]
Alternative accommodation for women prisoners in a separate prison
was being actively considered, and the NIHRC was due to publish
further research on conditions of detention for women.[202]
Further details of action being taken by the Northern Ireland
Prison Service to address the needs of women prisoners have been
given in the Government's response to the UN Committee.[203]
From the evidence we have received it seems that the Government
and the prison authorities in Northern Ireland may well now be
seized of the urgent need to provide decent conditions for women
in detention. If this is the case we expect the new approach
to have been translated into significant improvements by the time
the UK's next periodic report to CAT is due.
196 Third Report of Session 2004-05, Deaths in Custody,
HL Paper 15-I, HC 137-I, para 376 Back
197
Second Report of Session 2005-06, Deaths in Custody: Further
Government Response to the Third Report from the Committee, Session
2004-05, HL Paper 60, HC 651 Back
198
Paras 4(g) and 5(l) Back
199
NIHRC, The Hurt Inside: the Imprisonment of Women and Girls
in Northern Ireland, October 2004 (second edition June 2005);
Report on the transfer of women from the Mourne House Unit, Maghaberry
Prison, to Hydebank Wood Young Offenders Institute, June 2004 Back
200
Report of June 2005 following an inspection in January 2005 Back
201
Q 233. See also Ev 90 Back
202
Ev 90. Such matters have also been dealt with in Council of Europe,
Committee of Ministers, Recommendation No. R 87(3) European Prison
Rules (adopted on 14th February 1987) and Recommendation No. R
(98) 7 Concerning the Ethical and Organisational Aspects of Health
Care in Prison (adopted on April 8th 1998) Back
203
Ev 77, paras 99-104 Back
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