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Lack of care (1)

01 January 1991

Lack of care
artdoc May=1993

The inadequacies of procedures which are supposed to give
protection to prisoners considered to be serious suicide risks
have been exposed again by a death in Swaleside Prison, Isle of
Sheppey. Andrew Ohene, a Ghanaian born man with a `relevant and
significant history of mental illness' died, by hanging himself,
on 13 June 1991.
At the inquest, held on 5 February 1993, the North Kent Coroner
stated that there had been `no real assessment' of his mental
state and he had not received any medical or psychiatric
treatment. Although on the hospital wing he was not under
constant observation thus `the suicide risk had not been
eliminated'. Andrew Ohene was isolated in a cell despite
persistent deterioration and checked only every 15 minutes. The
jury returned a verdict of suicide `aggravated by a lack of
care'. His brother stated that under the circumstances the
verdict was `about the best result we could have'.

Statewatch vol 3 no 2 March-April 1993