Co-author: Access took a long time

Co-author of the review professor Nancy Loucks, chief executive of charity Families Outside, admits the process has been challenging: “It was not easy getting this work done and we found barriers along the way.

“It took a long time to get access to prison staff, as we had issued a general call to staff to respond to questionnaires and requests for interviews. It was also challenging with Covid-related restrictions and communication.

“With the death of someone in prison, the fact is the family are just completely sidelined. They won’t know exactly what happened and they won’t have the opportunity to ask proper questions. They are basically cast adrift and it’s been that way for decades, so this is a real opportunity to flag up the experience families have and try to improve the situation.

“People’s reactions to the death of someone in prison are understandable but the fact is it could be anyone’s child, brother, or loved one. The families we spoke to have not been convicted of anything, yet they are feeling every element of the punishment in terms of separation and dehumanisation.”

Although the review was instructed not to look at events leading up to a prisoner’s death, Loucks said the authors did speak to families about whether they felt anything could have prevented the death.

She said: “This was part of their overall experience so it couldn’t just be ignored. Consistently, families were not feeling heard.”

She said of the report’s main recommendation for a prompt inquiry into each death: “An inquiry would be something which would inform a Fatal Accident Inquiry, but what we are looking for is something which could happen more quickly.

“Very few families had any legal representation. We’re pleased that, following the report, the Scottish Government has agreed to non-means tested Legal Aid to address this.”