Question reference: S5W-35949
- Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 10 March 2021
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have died in custody in prisons since 23 March 2020, and how many of these deaths were recorded to be as a result of (a) suicide and (b) COVID-19.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
SPS is only able to confirm the cause of death once a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) has concluded, however, all deaths in custody are published on our website and updated on a quarterly basis. This information includes the ‘medical certificate of cause of death’(MCCD) to avoid any delay in waiting until the cause of death is confirmed at a FAI. This information can be found at https://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Information/PrisonerDeaths.aspx
Please note that information on deaths in custody which took place during the first 3 months of 2021 will be available in early April 2021.
In 2020 there were 5 deaths in custody as a result of COVID-19. There have been 3 deaths in 2021 that have been initially reported as associated with COVID-19, however SPS await final confirmation of this by MCCD or Post Mortem.