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UK: Bodybelt death: inquiry call

01 July 1996

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The family of Dennis Stevens, a black prisoner who died after being forced to spend 24 hours in a bodybelt while in Dartmoor prison, has called for an independent public inquiry into his death. The family made the demand after receiving - some seven months after Steven's death - postmortem results that established that "pressure and restriction of the blood supply during restraint caused or contributed to muscle damage which resulted in [his] death" (see Statewatch, vol 5, no 6). Devon and Cornwall police and the Prison Service have carried out inquiries into the death, and the incident is under consideration by the Crown Prosecution Service. The organisation Inquest, which campaigns against deaths in custody, and the Bristol Racial Equality Council have supported the family's call for an independent investigation. Within days of the family's demands the Prison Service announced that it is planning to evaluate a remote electric stun belt, which delivers a powerful shock that can result in unconsciousness. The belt has been condemned as "cruel, inhumane and degrading" by Amnesty International. The Big Issue 1.7.96; Guardian 4.7.96.

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