Baby Dies in UK Prison After Inmate ‘Gives Birth Alone in Cell’

Police are investigating the death of a baby in Britain’s largest female prison after an inmate gave birth alone in her cell at night. The Guardian understands that the woman, who had been at an advanced stage of pregnancy, gave birth alone in her cell in the early hours of Friday 27th September 2019. A source with knowledge of the events said that when prison staff visited the woman’s cell on Friday morning, the baby was unresponsive. Vicky Robinson, the director at HMP Bronzefield, confirmed that a baby died at the prison on the 27th and said it was supporting the mother. South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed it had received a call from the prison at 8.30 am last Friday and that one ambulance attended the prison. Police were called shortly afterwards. Surrey police said in a statement: “The death is currently being treated as unexplained and an investigation is continuing to establish the full circumstances of what happened.”

 

The case raises serious questions about how the woman came to be unsupervised and without medical support during her labour and birth, and about the conditions at the privately-run prison. Robinson said: “We are supporting the mother through this distressing time and our thoughts are with her, her family and our staff involved. We are undertaking a full review and working with all relevant authorities during their investigations. It would not be appropriate to comment any further.”

 

Bronzefield is Europe’s largest female prison, holding up to 557 inmates, and is operated by Sodexo Justice Services. Concerns have been raised previously about the care of prisoners. In the case of Natasha Chin, who died at HMP Bronzefield in 2016, an inquest jury found that neglect and systemic failings at the prison had contributed to her death. Four women have died at Bronzefield since July 2016. There is a mother and baby unit at the prison and women whose babies are born in prison, or who already have a baby when they enter prison, can keep the infants with them until they are 18 months old. Every year, about 600 pregnant women are held in prisons in England and Wales, and about 100 babies are born there.

 

Read more: Hannah Devlin and Diane Taylor, Guardian, https://is.gd/5Bwm0B