Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Mark Todd (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 11 December 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Carter Review

Question: We must also address the quality of the existing provision of prison places. I do not know whether my right hon. Friend's Department has drawn his attention to the inquest results on Martin Green, my constituent who died in Blakenhurst prison in the summer of 2002. It is perhaps revealing that the inquest took so long to arrive at a conclusion. Is my right hon. Friend prepared to meet relatives of Mr. Green to discuss the appalling lack of care that the inquest revealed? I have seen the post-mortem results, and the case has the nearest resemblance of any that I have seen to that of someone from a concentration camp—a victim of the Nazis.

Answer: I do not want to comment on that individual case, except to say to my hon. Friend that of course I will make arrangements to see the bereaved relatives. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of any prisoner who dies in such circumstances, and indeed to the staff concerned. The Prison Service has worked extremely hard better to identify prisoners who are at risk of self-harm, although it cannot be a perfect science, and to reduce considerably the number of deaths in custody.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 469 c148
Session: 2007-08
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Death Prisoners Prisons Standards Self-harm Prison accommodation Finance Sentencing
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk