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Between 1990 and the time of writing, 1,849 people have died in police custody or otherwise following police contact in England and Wales, with people from racially minoritised backgrounds over-represented in use of force and restraint related deaths. Drawing upon research undertaken by the authors, alongside bereaved families, this paper approaches these deaths as a form of institutional killings, surfacing the norms, cultures and values which systematically omit, obfuscate and mystify the violence of police action and inaction that eventuates these deaths. We contend that the police use of lethal force is therefore embedded and enmeshed within the processes, attitudes and behaviours of the police as an institution – both historically and in the present – which shapes how those killed encounter the police, how their deaths are (re)presented and how their bereaved families experience the processes which follow. The article argues that these processes follow a predictable pattern, with a similar lack of accountability also observable across other aspects of the criminal justice sector in relation to state deaths.

This article develops a framework to think sociologically about the containment of activism in contexts of state racism. It argues that normal everyday practices of the police and judicial system have mechanisms which contain challenges to their authority. It shows how state racism is embedded within the criminalisation of black people and enacted through policing. The analysis focuses on Scotland’s first black death in police custody and the campaign formed by his family to establish the circumstances of the death. Sheku Bayoh died shortly after being arrested and restrained by up to nine police officers in Kirkcaldy, a small town on the east coast of Scotland, in May 2015. I pay attention to the role played by racism in the media’s framing of Sheku’s death, common in explaining deaths of black people at the hands of the police.

In England and Wales, there has been considerable work over recent years to reduce the numbers of deaths in custody. Currently, there is no standard, internationally agreed definition of a death in custody, which limits comparisons. In addition, rates of death in custody are often reported per country or region inhabitants, but it would be more useful to report per number of detainees. In this short communication, we present data on deaths in individuals who have been detained in England and Wales between 2016 to 2019. We also present a method to calculate rates of death per custodial population in key settings using routine data, allowing for more consistent comparisons across time and different settings. Most deaths in custody between 2016–2019 occurred in prisons (56% of all deaths in custody over 2016–19; Table 1). However, when rates are considered, those detained under the Mental Health Act had the highest rate of deaths, which ranged from 1103–1334/100,000 persons detained. Around one in five deaths were self-inflicted. The data presented highlights the need to maintain focus on improving the physical health and mental health of all those detained in custody, both whilst in detention and after release.

STORIES ABOUT THE SUFFERING caused by violence, self-harm, and deaths in custody can make for difficult reading. At any one time, there are roughly 83,000 people in prison custody. However, annuall...

Resumen En 2017, las muertes por autoagresión irrumpieron en la escena penitenciaria argentina, aunque se trata de un problema extendido en el tiempo. Entre 2009 y 2018 fallecieron bajo custodia del Servicio Penitenciario Federal 425 personas: 109 de estas muertes fueron consecuencia de autoagresiones. ¿Cómo se explican las muertes por autoagresión bajo custodia penitenciaria y a qué prácticas estatales se encuentran asociadas? ¿Cómo se interrelacionan los factores individuales, los condicionamientos carcelarios y los desencadenantes que las precipitan? ¿Cómo se constituye la responsabilidad estatal ante estas muertes? Este trabajo se propone describir las muertes por autoagresión bajo custodia del Servicio Penitenciario Federal en la década mencionada a través del análisis de los factores y prácticas estatales que los explican. Abstract In 2017, self-inflicted deaths in custody barge in Argentinian penitentiary scene, although it was a problem extended in the time. 425 people died in custody at Federal Penitentiary Service in the 2009-18 period: 109 of those deaths were self-inflicted. How are self-inflicted deaths in prison custody explained and to which state practices are associated? How the individual factors, the prison conditions and the triggers that precipitate them are interrelated? How could State responsibility be thought? This work aims to describe self-inflicted deaths in custody of the Federal Penitentiary Service the decade 2009-2018, and to analyze factors and state practices that explain them.

In 2013, South Africa had the second highest rate of imprisonment in Africa. During the apartheid era, a substantial number of deaths in custody involved political detainees. However, two decades after the abolition of apartheid there continues to be a high number of deaths in custody and deaths due to police action. There is no internationally standardised classification for deaths which take place in custody and/or due to police action. For purposes of this study, we divided these cases broadly into two categories: firstly, deaths which took place as a result of police action as well as deaths of persons held in police custody, and secondly, deaths of inmates of correctional service facilities. We conducted a retrospective descriptive case audit at the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory (PMLL) of all cases admitted as deaths as a result of police action, deaths in police custody and deaths in correctional service facilities during the five year period from January 2007 through December 2011. A total of 93 cases were identified, which included 48 deaths due to police action, 28 deaths in police custody and 17 deaths in correctional service custody. The majority of these deaths were due to gunshot wounds (n=48) – all due to police action. Hangings accounted for 17 cases, and the majority of these occurred in police holding cells. This study highlights the relatively large numbers of firearm fatalities related to police action. In contrast to similar studies elsewhere, we identified no deaths associated with illicit drug intoxication or due to phenomena such as excited delirium. We argue that there is a need for objective, impartial and competent medico-legal investigation into deaths of this nature.

This paper explores dying in English prisons. Whilst often conflated, death and dying are conceptually different. While there is increased attention given to the investigation of deaths in custody, and the impact of prison deaths on healthcare staff and custodial staff, little attention has been paid to the experience of dying people themselves. Post-death investigations tell us little about dying experiences of the dying. This paper reviewed the literature on dying in English prisons and highlights this clear gap in knowledge. Four types of dying will be discussed in this paper: (1) suicide, (2) dying in older age, (3) deaths post-release, and (4) COVID-19 deaths. The importance of providing good end-of-life care and palliative care in prison is acknowledged in the literature, but this only shows awareness of the needs of a particular part of the prison population. To understand the complexities and nuances of dying in prison, all voices need to be included in research, otherwise what is left post-death of a person who died in prison is a Fatal Incidence Report. More empirical research is needed to illuminate the diversity of prison deaths and the lived reality of those dying behind locked doors.

This paper is a scoping review of the available evidence regarding health care issues in police custody. It describes the types and prevalence of health disorders encountered in custody and provides an overview of current practice and recent innovations in police custody health care. In contrast to the health of prisoners, the health of police custody detainees has, until recently, received little academic or clinical attention. Studies on health care in police custody identified for this review are limited to a few geographical jurisdictions, including the UK, continental Europe, North America, and Australia. There are significant health concerns among police detainees including acute injury, chronic physical health problems, mental and cognitive disorders, and the risks associated with drug and alcohol intoxication or withdrawal. There is some evidence that deaths in police custody have reduced where attention has been paid to the latter issue. Police personnel continue to experience difficulties identifying detainees with health issues relevant to their safe detention, but research shows that the use of evidence-based screening tools improves detection of such morbidities. Innovations in police custody health care mainly relate to detainees with mental disorders, including improved identification of illness, timely access to mental health services, the protection of the rights of mentally disordered detainees, and the diversion of mentally disordered persons from the criminal justice system into appropriate health and social care interventions. There is a lack of rigorous research relating to interventions for physical health problems, protecting those at risk of substance withdrawal, and detainees with preexisting or peri-arrest injures. Research to improve the health of police custody detainees requires greater priority, focusing on case identification and service redesign to address high levels of morbidity and to facilitate health promotion and prevention activities.

Introduction This special issue is dedicated to the issue of the evolution of punishment in the former Soviet Union (fSU). This is a particularly timely topic. Carceral institutions, whether investigation isolators, remand prisons, prison colonies or resettlement centres, play a hugely important role in the political and social dynamics of former Soviet countries. In Tajikistan in the last year, prison breaks, riots and suspicious deaths in custody have threatened to completely destabilise ...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of trauma experience in pathways to self-harm or attempted suicide in female prisoners who died through self-inflicted death in England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative study using the Prison and Probation Ombudsmen’s independent reports on deaths in custody. In total, 32 cases of female self-inflicted death in custody were coded on the presence of direct or interpersonal trauma, presence of superficial self-harm (SSH), near-lethal self-harm (NLSH), suicide attempts and recent significant life event. The number of previous suicide attempts (PSAs) and age at time of death was recorded. Findings – Direct trauma is linked with repeated suicide attempts but recued the likelihood of SSH prior to suicide. Neither interpersonal trauma nor age increased likelihood of pre-suicide behaviours. NLSH was not predicted by either traumatic experience. Amongst these completed suicide cases, 56 per cent were not reported as having experienced trauma, 46 per cent had no recorded PSAs and 12 per cent also had no previous self-harm reported. Research limitations/implications – The small sample limited statistical power and specificity of classifications. Provides support for direct trauma in developing capacity for repeated suicidal behaviour as indicated in theoretical models of suicide (Joiner, 2005; O’Connor, 2011). Practical implications – Different pathways to suicide likely to exist for female prisoners and importance of trauma intervention services. Originality/value – Using cases of completed suicide in female prisoners to investigate the pathway to suicide from trauma through previous self-harm and attempted suicide.

SummaryMental health and substance misuse disorders are associated with unnatural deaths in prisoners. Deaths in Irish prisons between 2009 and 2014 were retrospectively analysed using coroner's findings, including post-mortem toxicology. There were 69 deaths in custody, 38 of which met inclusion criteria. All deaths by overdose (16) were positive for illicit drugs; 53% of deaths (8 of 15) due to hanging were also positive for illicit drugs, and 29% of deaths (2 of 7) from other causes were toxicology positive. In conclusion, 26 unnatural deaths (68%) were associated with use of illicit drugs, which are a major contributory factor to deaths of prisoners.Declaration of interestNone.

This chapter analyses police violence in relation to Indigenous people in Australia. It utilizes a broad concept of violence to include physical violence, and other forms of ill-treatment. Such an approach is consistent with international human rights standards. An important part of the consideration of police violence includes reference to obligations to provide a duty of care to those in custody. The policing of Indigenous people and the use of violence in contextualised within a broader framework of colonial relations.

© The Author(s) 2017. The authors of this chapter contextualise crime and criminal justice within Australian colonial history. They map the development of Aboriginal criminology in Australia and cover key themes that have disproportionately affected Indigenous peoples such as over-policing, lack of access to justice in the neoliberal context, incarceration, and deaths in custody. Finally, the authors reflect on Indigenous experiences of criminal justice, and various processes that challenge contemporary justice interventions, including Indigenous courts, night patrols, and community justice initiatives. The authors conclude by considering the possibilities of an Indigenous criminology.

Rationale:Acute epiglottitis is a potentially life-threaten disease, which makes it more challenging to save the life for doctors. Unexpected deaths in custody are a primary cause of concern for the forensic community and doctor worldwide.Patient concerns:We present a case of a 44-year-old m

This comparative study examines the difficulties associated with criminalising the predominantly male phenomena of culpable workplace fatalities in Britain and Ireland. Unlike Ireland, Britain has progressed proposals for statutory reform into law, extending liability not only to companies but also to a range of public bodies − including HM Prison Service − whose functions are most likely to involve causing deaths. However, the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 has not yet been invoked for a single death in prison custody or, for that matter, a fatality in any other complex large-scale organisation in the public or private sector.

It is acknowledged that health outcomes for Australian Indigenous peoples are lower than those of non-Indigenous Australians. Research suggests negative media in relation to Indigenous Australians perpetuates racist stereotypes among the wider population and impacts on the health of Indigenous Australians. This study examined the media portrayal of Indigenous Australian public health issues in selected media over a twelve month period and found that, overwhelmingly, the articles were negative in their portrayal of Indigenous health. A total of 74 percent of the coverage of Australian Indigenous related articles were negative, 15 percent were positive, and 11 percent were neutral. The most common negative subject descriptors related to alcohol, child abuse, petrol sniffing, violence, suicide, deaths in custody, and crime.

Las armas eléctricas se introdujeron como una alternativa a las armas de fuego en la policía, aunque también están siendo utilizadas fuera del marco de la ley. Mediante las descargas eléctricas que producen, se inmoviliza a la víctima como consecuencia de una contracción muscular tetánica dolorosa. La utilización de estas armas es controvertida, ya que se les han atribuido algunas muertes en custodia en Estados Unidos. Revisamos la literatura médica sobre este tema y concluimos que algunas veces pueden ser letales, y que es necesario analizar factores de riesgo potencial asociados para confirmar o descartar una verdadera relación causa-efecto en estos casos. Conducted energy devices are used as a non-lethal weapons by law enforcement personal internationally to subdue potentially violent or combative subjects. The victim is immobilized as a result of painful tetanic contraction of the muscles. However, controversy exists about these weapons, because they have been implicated in some deaths in custody in the United States. We review medical literature related on this topic and conclude that they are not always non lethal and that all potential associated factors must be analyzed to be able to confirm or disprove a true causal relationship.

Se presenta un estudio sobre todos los casos de muertes en privación de libertad ocurridos en la provincia de Málaga durante los años 2004-2012, que fueron 41. En cuanto al origen y la causa de la muerte, la mayoría fueron accidentales (46,3%, incluyendo reacción adversa a drogas), seguidas de suicidios (24,3%), muertes de origen natural (21,9%) y homicidios (7,3%). En el estudio se detalla también la edad, el sexo, la nacionalidad, el consumo de tóxicos y el lugar del suceso. Finalmente se exponen cuatro interesantes casos: dos accidentes, un suicidio y un homicidio. A study of all cases of deaths in custody occurred in the province of Malaga, Spain, during the years 2004 to 2012 is presented. These were 41. As for the origin and etiology of death, most were accidents 46.3% (including adverse drug reaction), followed by suicides (24.3%), natural deaths (21.9%) and homicides (7.3%). In the study; age, sex, national consumption of toxic and location of occurrence is detailed. Finally four interesting cases are discussed: two accidents, one suicide and a homicide.

(1994). The Ambiguity of Accountability: Deaths in Custody, and the Regulation of Police Power. Current Issues in Criminal Justice: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 234-251.

Observaciones llevadas a cabo durante los últimos 15 años por expertos forenses han dado lugar al reconocimiento de un nuevo síndrome que puede llevar a la muerte súbita e inesperada. La muerte por agitación psicomotriz generalmente se acompaña por un procedimiento de restricción llevado a cabo por fuerzas y cuerpos de seguridad del estado, cuerpos de seguridad privada o personal hospitalario. Ello conlleva que dicho fallecimiento sea catalogado dentro del grupo de muertes en privación de libertad, muertes en custodia o deaths in custody. La frecuencia de este cuadro, llamativo por las circunstancias extrañas en las que se produce, es cada vez mayor ya que uno de sus principales factores de riesgo como es el consumo de drogas, fundamentalmente la cocaína, aumenta de forma alarmante en la sociedad de nuestros días. Por tanto, partiendo de la hipótesis de que la agitación psicomotriz de origen tóxico o psiquiátrico puede acabar en la muerte del sujeto tras una retención prolongada así como que algunos de los sujetos que sufren un cuadro de agitación psicomotriz son ingresados en el hospital durante o tras dicho episodio, nuestro objetivo ha sido realizar un estudio descriptivo utilizando para ello una muestra de 31 casos que requirieron atención médica en el Hospital de Poniente entre los años 2003 y 2005. Esta muestra la dividimos en dos subgrupos: • Sujetos con agitación psicomotriz y análisis cualitativo de tóxicos positivo y, • Sujetos con agitación psicomotriz y análisis cualitativo de tóxicos negativo. Con esta división en dos grupos realizamos un estudio comparativo entre ambos analizando estadísticamente diferentes variables con el fin de determinar la influencia de las drogas psicoactivas en los cuadros de agitación psicomotriz. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto la falta de datos en las historias clínicas, el escaso número de estudios relacionados con el tema en cuestión y la ausencia de diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los pacientes con agitación psicomotriz y consumo de tóxicos de los que no han consumido recientemente. Observations carried out by forensic experts over the last 15 years lead us to the recognition of a new syndrome that can take to a sudden and unexpected death. Death caused by psychomotor agitation is generally accompanied by a restriction procedure carried out by security forces, private security or hospital staff. It entails that this death can be classified within the group of deaths in deprivation of liberty or deaths in custody. The frequency of this condition, remarkable for the strange circumstances in which it occurs, is growing as one of their major risk factors such as drugs, primarily cocaine, increases dramatically in today's society. Therefore, based on the hypothesis that psychomotor agitation due to toxic or psychiatric origin can end in the death of the subject after a prolonged retention as well as some of the subjects suffering from psychomotor agitation are admitted to hospital during or after this episode, our goal was to perform a descriptive study using a sample of 31 cases requiring medical attention in the Poniente Hospital between 2003 and 2005. This sample was divided into two subgroups: • Patients with psychomotor agitation and positive toxic qualitative analysis and, • Patients with psychomotor agitation and negative toxic qualitative analysis. A comparative study was carried out between the two different groups, statistically analyzing different variables to determine the influence of psychoactive drugs in the state of psychomotor agitation. Results highlight the lack of data in medical records, the small numbers of studies related to the topic and no statistically significant differences between patients with psychomotor agitation and toxic consumption of those who have not recently consumed.

When I first met Diane Barwick in 1961 she was concerned about the extreme disadvantages under which Aboriginal people lived. Diane committed her life to the righting of those inequities through meticulous scholarship. It is in appreciation of her leadership in this area that I offer this paper on Aboriginal inequality within the juvenile justice system. The current publicity being given to Aboriginal deaths in custody serves to highlight the wrong and inappropriate detention of Aboriginal people by a justice system that has failed to deal equitably with these people. For a people who make up such a small proportion of Australia's total population the high rate of deaths in custody, some ninety-seven between 1980 and 1987, serves as a stark reminder of the inability of our justice system to deliver equity to Aboriginal people, especially to young men.

Deaths have occurred after law-enforcement incidents involving applications of electronic control devices (ECDs) (including TASER devices). An "excited delirium" syndrome (reported in the literature prior to the development of ECDs currently in use), however, includes several factors that may be related to such deaths in custody. In this review, potential detrimental effects of ECDs are compared with possible changes due to excited delirium. Although extreme (i.e., long-duration or repeated) exposures to ECDs can result in significant hyperkalaemia, acidaemia, and myoglobinemia in animal models, limited applications (such as those normally used in law-enforcement situations) would appear to have only transient effects. In addition, the hyperthermia observed in patients with excited delirium does not seem to be directly exacerbated by ECD applications. ECD use is unlikely to be a common cause of ventricular fibrillation, but other events that are generally associated with excited delirium (e.g., drug use) may be related to subsequent ventricular fibrillation or asystole. Metabolic or respiratory acidosis may only be serious consequences of long-duration or repeated ECD applications. On the basis of current available information, factors other than ECDs themselves may be more important when death occurs after the use of ECDs.

This article interrogates Australia’s “post-coloniality” in light of the death in custody of Mulrunji Doomadgee and its legal and political aftermath. While Prime Minister Rudd recently called for an end to the history wars, and while liberal reformist measures such as anti-discrimination laws and native title rights support the illusion that Australia has now reached a point in its history where it has meaningfully departed from its colonial past, the death of Mulrunji Doomadgee and the police reaction to it suggest that Australia today is still very much a colonial place. The article argues that what is emerging is a “blue wristband” view of history which denies the existence of colonial power relations today while actively reproducing them.

A world-leading article that anticipated current criminal justice events: This article has been acknowledged by Parks and Crump, a US firm of attorneys representing the family of Martin Lee Anderson, killed by guards at a Florida boot-camp in January 2006, and currently suing for $40m. http://www.nospank.net/anderson.htm An unexplained death in custody represents an important focal point for public scrutiny of the criminal justice system, especially when excess deaths occur in those of minority ethnic descent. Sickle cell anaemia is a serious inherited blood disorder disproportionately affecting minority ethnic groups. Sickle cell trait is the genetic carrier state and not an illness. The evidence suggests that the treatment of sickle cell in the criminal justice system is twofold. Justice authorities have misused sickle cell trait to explain away ten sudden deaths, often associated with forced restraint, of African-Caribbean people in custody. Meanwhile, seven deaths have been attributable to lack of provision of health care for those prisoners suffering from the illness sickle cell anaemia.

People are dying in police custody in Britain because officers are having to work as “social workers of last resort,” coping with drug users and mentally ill people who should rightfully be dealt with in hospital, says Nick Harwood, chairman of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Speaking as the commission released its figures for deaths during or after police contact in England and Wales during 2004-5, Mr Hardwick said that there could have been a “significant reduction” in the 36 deaths during or after police custody last year and in the 46 suicides that occurred soon after release if institutions properly addressed the issue of the force's role in coping with mentally ill people. The 36 deaths in custody accounted for more than a third of the …

Deaths in custody represent the most severe end of a continuum of police neglect and potential criminality. At this end of the continuum, the system for holding the police properly to account for i...