HMP Durham must urgently address inmate deaths - report

The facility, close to the city centre, takes inmates on remand or subject to recall

Inspectors have criticised prison staff for failing to realise an inmate was at risk of killing himself.

Jason Parker, 48, was found hanged in his cell at HMP Durham on 2 May 2020.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) report said staff missed risk factors and failed to take account of his suicide and self-harm warning form.

The PPO said it was "extremely concerned that Mr Parker's death is the fourth in two years to have identified failings in assessing prisoner risk".

"It is critical that the governor addresses these repeated failings and ensures that improvements are made as a matter of urgency," it said.

Mr Parker was the sixth prisoner to take his life at HMP Durham, which holds about 990 men, since January 2019.

There have been a further two self-inflicted deaths at the prison which are currently being investigated.

In August 2019, the chief inspector of prisons raised "significant concern" over the number of deaths at HMP Durham and called for urgent action in managing inmates at risk of suicide and self-harm.

Mr Parker was remanded to the prison after being charged with threatening to kill a member of the public on 28 April 2020.

The PPO raised concern the reception nurse's referral of Mr Parker to the prison's mental health team was not classed as urgent.

'Risk factors'

The report said it had been Mr Parker's first time in prison, he had a extensive history of serious mental health issues and had recently self-harmed.

However, the supervising officer (SO) incorrectly recorded that he had been in prison before and had not recently self-harmed.

Neither the nurse nor the SO considered he was at risk of suicide or self-harm.

The nurse said Mr Parker had appeared "in good spirits, jovial and chatty".

Staff had accepted his denials when asked if he had any thoughts of suicide but the report pointed out "prisoners intent on suicide rarely say so".

Mr Parker received a reasonable standard of care but staff focused on his actions and words and did not "give sufficient consideration to his risk factors," the report found.

It recommended staff should be made aware of official guidance on identifying these and should be reminded not to rely solely on how prisoners appear.