A jury at the Coroner’s inquest into the death of eighteen year old Annelise Sanderson concluded that she died from suicide at HMP Styal but noted there were some failings in her care.
Annelise Sanderson died after ligaturing at HMP Styal only five days after being discharged from mental health services. Now an inquest has found a lack of record keeping and communication failures at the prison.
Her death was one of 11 self-inflicted deaths at the prison since 2007, more than any other women’s prison in England. She is the youngest person to have died in a women’s prison in 20 years.
Annelise was arrested after she had been witnessed trying to drink or pour petrol on herself at a petrol station and had assaulted emergency workers who tried to intervene.
She was very unwell and was taken to A&E before being transferred to court. She was subsequently sentenced to 52 weeks in prison and was sent to HMP Styal.
In their narrative, they said that There was a clear failure of the system to ensure adequate communication between professionals, meaning a lack of ownership regarding decisions.
Angela Gray, Annelise’s mother, said: “Annelise was a loving daughter, sister, niece, aunt and friend. She was not just another prison number. She was bright, and cheeky, and complicated. She liked to make people laugh.
But she was also a vulnerable person, who faced serious difficulties with her mental health. When she entered HMP Styal, she had only just turned 18. You could tell from just looking at her she was still a child.
Her death has been incomprehensible and devastating, and we think it could have been prevented. Over the course of this week we have seen for ourselves how Annelise was treated in prison; she was just another number to them.
Her mental health issues were seen as bad behaviour, and when she withdrew into herself she was just left to her own devices. She fell through the cracks despite asking for help from people who should have kept her safe. The past few days have been painful and enraging.
We thank the jury for the attention they have given Annelise’s case and for recognising that there were failures in her care.
Annelise was a special person, but in her fate she is not unique. Since her death, three more women have died in Styal. Our condolences go out to their families. Styal was not a safe place for Annelise, and we feel it is not a safe place for vulnerable women now.”
Deborah Coles, Director at INQUEST, said: “What do we do in response to young women in obvious need of care and support? We can’t keep locking them up to die.
Annelise had a history of trauma, and the mental ill health that often accompanies this. She deserved our understanding, care and support. Instead, she was viewed as a discipline and control problem by our public services. The fundamental question for all of us, is why was she sent to prison in the first place?
Deaths in Styal prison are at a record high and two self-inflicted deaths in December raise serious renewed questions about women’s health and safety. Each of these deaths is a stark reminder that prison is a disproportionate, inappropriate, and dangerous response to women in conflict with the law, not least for those with mental ill health.
How many deaths must it take before the Government finally takes action and ends the needless imprisonment of women to save lives? We need to dismantle prisons and redirect resources to holistic, gender responsive community services. Only then can we end the deaths of women in prison.”
