A mum jailed for shoplifting shampoo and cheese took her own life after prison staff ignored her cries for help, an inquest heard.
Christine McDonald, 55, was discovered by prison officers with self-harm in her cell at HMP Styal, Cheshire on March 2, 2019 – just two days after she was jailed for shoplifting. An inquest at Cheshire Coroners’ Court in Warrington concluded that neglect contributed to Mrs McDonald taking her own life, with a jury finding that staff failed to follow appropriate health guidelines.
Mrs McDonald’s daughter Cheri said: “The prison and health staff had a responsibility and a duty of care to at least make sure she stayed alive, they didn’t.” The inquest, which ended on May 10, found that Ms McDonald was sent to HMP Styal closed category prison for two offenses of shoplifting shampoo, bubble bath, hair dye and cheese and one offense of failing to comply with a community order from a suspended sentence .
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Mrs McDonald, who struggled with opiate addiction, was arrested in Blackpool with another of her daughters, Kristy, who fell from the third floor and suffered serious injuries. Upon arrival at the jail on May 1, 2019, her behavior was described as anxious, opiate withdrawal and her concern for her daughter’s injuries.
The inquest heard evidence that opiate addiction is a serious health problem and that rapid detoxification should be avoided, with additional monitoring required for those who quit. Mrs. McDonald suffered from significant withdrawal symptoms that indicated low mood.
On May 2, she was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester after concerns were raised during a health care assessment at the prison. After that she was returned to HMP Styal. The jury heard records detailing her drug addiction were not read – and information about her daughter’s welfare was not passed on. After her return to hospital, the prison was to carry out a clinical assessment and provide additional overnight observations.
The investigation heard that two prison officers found her in her cell around 11 p.m. She was found to have a pulse and was taken back to Wythenshawe Hospital. An inquest jury heard evidence that Ms McDonald had asked for a nurse half an hour before she was found, but prison officers failed to comply with her request. She was confirmed dead the next day, surrounded by her family.
The jury found that there was a gross failure to provide care and attention to Mrs McDonald which directly contributed to her death. The jury cited a number of failings including: lapses in communication between health and prison staff; non-compliance with clinical guidelines on drug addiction treatment; and messages relating to her daughter’s welfare were to be communicated.
After the inquest, Christine McDonald said: “My mum was left alone crying out for help and was dismissed and ignored by staff until she could no longer cope and end her own suffering… Prison and health staff had a responsibility and a duty of care to at least keep her alive and they didn’t.
“We will never get over the loss of my mum, but I am speaking out in the hope that this will not continue to happen and if it does, other families will realize that there are ways to identify and expose all the flaws and fight back.” Mrs McDonald, who was a mother of four, was described as “kind, loving, with a good sense of humour” and someone who “always put others before herself”.
Ms McDonald’s family supported the INQUEST, which reported that her death was the eleventh in which an inmate took his own life. Jordan Ferdinand-Sargeant, a worker at INQUEST, said: “Christine was a vulnerable woman in prison for stealing items of little value: shampoo, bubble bath, hair dye and cheese. Two days later, she was dead. She needed care and support, not a prison sentence.
“Time and again we see the dangerous and fatal consequences of sending women to prison, not least those with complex needs like Christina. Deaths at Styal Prison are at a record high, and two self-inflicted deaths in December are once again raising serious questions about the health and safety of women.
“We must urgently dismantle prisons and redirect resources to holistic, gender-sensitive community services. Only then can we end the death of women in prison.”
A Prison Service spokesman said: “Our thoughts remain with the friends and family of Christine McDonald. We are investing £14 million to improve security in women’s prisons and strengthen the support provided to those at risk of self-harm and suicide. We will carefully review the coroner’s findings and to answer in due course.”
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