HMP Peterborough concerns after prisoner’s death

Charlotte Nokes died at the privately run jail on July 23 2016. An inquest this week found she had died of natural causes.

However, a report from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) said there were a number of areas the jail could improve to help vulnerable prisoners.

Ms Nokes was 38-years-old when she was found dead in her cell. She had been given an indeterminate sentence for possession of an offensive weapon and attempted robbery in January 2008. He sentence had been for an initial minimum of 15 months, but she served more than eight years in jail, after being given an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence.

She was on suicide watch at the time of her death, and also suffered from a series of health conditions, and was reportedly using illegal drugs. The inquest heard she had suffered sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) alone in her cell.

In the PPO report, Nigel Newcomen said: “Ms Noakes’ case highlights how difficult it is to manage and care properly for vulnerable mentally ill people who display challenging behaviour in prison. In the circumstances, it is commendable that the investigation largely found that the healthcare she received and support given to manage her risk of suicide and self harm were appropriate.

“However, even without evidence of any bearing on her death, I have some concerns over the prison’s extensive use of segregation for Ms Nokes and the response to her apparent illicit substance abuse, including the need for better sharing of information between healthcare and discipline staff.”

In his recommendations, Mr Newcomen said: “The Head of Healthcare at HMP Peterborough should review the medicines management process, and ensure this is supported by an accurate audit trail.

“The Director and HMP Peterborough should ensure that prisoners at risk of suicide or self harm are not held in the segregation unit unless all other options have been considered and excluded and there are fully documented reasons to explain the exceptional circumstances.

“The Director should ensure that there is an effective supply and demand reduction strategy to reduce the availability and use of illicit drugs and diverted medication, including sharing of information between departments.

“The Director should ensure that staff conducting welfare checks note the position of a prisoner, confirm they are breathing, and obtain a response if they cannot establish that the prisoner is alive and breathing during roll check, welfare checks, or Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) checks.”

Damian Evans, director of HMP Peterborough, said: “We note the formal outcome of the Inquest, which recorded that Ms Nokes died of natural causes. Our thoughts and condolences remain with Miss Nokes family and friends, after what must have been a very difficult and emotional inquest for them.”

HMP Peterborough is run by Sodexo, and is the only jail in the country to have both a male and a female wing.

To read the report visit https://www.ppo.gov.uk/search/Charlotte+Nokes