Two deaths occurred at HMP Styal in Cheshire in the span of a week, prompting an investigation. The two prisoners, Laura Parry, 59, and Sarah Jackson, 46, died on 15 and 21 December, respectively. The prison service expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased and confirmed that the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman would investigate the deaths, as is standard practice with all deaths in custody. The two deaths are not believed to be related to one another.
HMP Styal houses about 480 prisoners and is a women’s prison. The deaths at the facility follow a number of other deaths at UK prisons this year. As of 20 December, there had been 58 deaths in custody, including 32 that were potentially self-inflicted.
The Howard League for Penal Reform said it was “concerned about the high number of deaths in custody”, noting that “many of these deaths could have been prevented”. The group called for the government to invest in alternatives to prison, such as community sentences, as a way of reducing the number of people who end up in jail in the first place, and to provide more support for individuals after they leave prison to help them reintegrate into society.
Other experts underscored the need for prisons to have more resources to help them deal with vulnerable individuals. Natasha Finlayson, the CEO of the charity Become, said “we all know the severe difficulties that women in custody face with mental health issues, and it’s vital that prisons like Styal have the right resources to support women who are experiencing similar difficulties.”
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