The families of two young Scots who took their own lives in custody have said their deaths must mark a “turning point” in how prisons operate.
Relatives of Katie Allan and William Lindsay spoke out after the Scottish Government today accepted all the findings and recommendations made by a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the circumstances of the suicides.
Katie 21, and William, 16, died in separate incidents at Polmont Young Offenders Institution just months apart in 2018.
A sheriff found last week the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) should have taken steps which could have prevented the pair from taking their own lives while in custody.
John Swinney met with relatives of Katie and William on Thursday before Angela Constance, the Justice Secretary, made a statement to MSPs on how the FAI’s recommendations will be implemented.
The SNP minister told Holyrood an independent national oversight mechanism would strengthen accountability in relation to the implementation of FAI recommendations.
His Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons for Scotland will also provide independent oversight and monitoring of the implementation of the report’s recommendations, reporting directly to Constance.
The Justice Secretary said: “The tragic deaths of these two young people should not have happened while they were in the care of the state.
“The Scottish Government accepts Sheriff Collins’ finding that these deaths were preventable. The systematic failures identified require a systemic response. I hear and fully understand the families’ demand for action.
“I am determined to lead change across SPS, NHS and broader partners to take forward the necessary reforms. While many changes have already taken place, further improvements are needed, at both operational and procedural level.
“There also needs to be a shift in the balance from custody to justice in the community. People should face the consequences of their actions when they have broken our laws, but in many cases that can be done safely and more effectively in the community not in prison.”
Aamer Anwar, the solicitor representing both families, said in a statement: “As the First Minister promised the families of Katie Allan and William Lindsay, today is a turning point for Scottish Prisons.
“For the first time in six years there is a chance of hope and a legacy. It is time that the SPS realised there is nothing inevitable about suicides.
“We made it clear that the Scottish Prison Service is not fit for purpose. Sheriff Collin’s robust report has exposed an SPS which obstructs justice and stands accused of lying, covering up and gaslighting families, all the while protected by a culture of Crown Immunity, which effectively meant a death sentence for Katie and William and so many others.
“The families welcome that the Scottish Government will accept all the findings and recommendations of Sherriff Collins.
“The issue of course is that to date the findings of FAIs are not mandatory, the families welcome that the Scottish Government will introduce an independent national oversight mechanism.
“We sound a note of caution, this should not mean that the army of experts, the usual quangos and so-called inspectors, who have done nothing to date should not be called on for help, they should instead hang their heads in shame, because there are also complicit in the needless deaths in our prisons.”
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