Justice Secretary responds to written determination of Fatal
Accident Inquiry.
Justice Secretary has responded to the
published determination of the Fatal Accident Inquiry into the
deaths at Polmont YOI of Katie Allan and William Lindsay (also
known – and referred to in the determination – as William Brown).
Ms Constance said:
“My deepest sympathies and condolences are with the families of
Katie Allan and William Lindsay who have lost a child and
sibling. I am deeply sorry about their deaths and that their
families have had to wait so long for the conclusion of this
process. I fully appreciate that this has been an arduous process
and will have compounded the trauma and distress of the families.
“Deaths from suicide in custody are as tragic as they are
preventable, and the deaths of these two young people should not
have happened whilst they were in the care of the state.
“I thank Sheriff Collins for his detailed determination which has
highlighted a number of reasonable precautions that should have
been taken and systemic failures that must be addressed to help
prevent other deaths in custody. His recommendations will be
given very careful and detailed consideration.
“Work has been carried out since Katie Allan and William
Lindsay's deaths in 2018 to reduce the instances happening again,
including action by the Scottish Prison Service to remove
ligature points in cells. However, there is clearly more to be
done and this must be done at pace. It is absolutely crucial that
both the Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service
make the systemic changes required to prevent and reduce
suicides in custody based on these recommendations.”
Background:
New regulations under the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland)
Act 2024 came into force on 28 August last year which means that
no under-18s will be detained in a Young Offenders Institution
but instead in suitable settings such as secure care.
The Cabinet Secretary intends to make a statement to Parliament
next week.
