Deaths in Scots prisons are on the rise as shock figures confirm 'worst fears' of grieving families

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Shock figures have revealed a 60% rise in prison custody deaths in a single year.The number of deaths has more than doubled since 2015 - leading to calls for action to prevent the tragedies.There have been a number of high profile Scottish prisons death in recent years including the death of 21-year-old Katie Allan at Polmont Young Offenders Institute in 2018, and the death of Allan Marshall in 2015 after he was restrained by prison officers during a struggle at Saughton Prison.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “I obtained these figures after a frantic constituent contacted me out of concern for their relative in prison custody. “Based on their experiences they believe that people in prison are being denied access to timely healthcare and fear this could put lives at risk.” The Scottish Government ordered a review in 2019 into how deaths are handled after four prisoners died in four days.

The report said Scotland had one of the highest death rates in Europe and called for a more “compassionate, rights-based response” to the loss of life in prisons.It also said suicide is the leading cause of death for people under 21.Figures from the Scottish Prison Service show a rising death toll.The number stood at 24 in 2015, jumping to 28 twelve months later and to 32 by 2018.It rose again to 37 in 2019, fell to 34 last year, but soared to 54 in 2021.Aamer Anwar, a lawyer who has represented the families of people who died in custody, said the figure “confirms our worst fears”, adding:“Yet the SPS response will be to issue empty words of condolence, when in reality they should be facing charges of corporate homicide for many of these deaths.”The Government-ordered review called for an independent investigation to be completed into