Andrew Carr
31 Jan 2019 · Coroner Louise Hunt · Birmingham and Solihull
A similar concern from this report was raised again 1 time later. See the linked reports.
The coroner's concerns
1. illicit drug use and distribution in prison
“The inquest heard evidence that before his transfer to Birmingham prison on 19/02/18 [the deceased] had been involved in 4 incidents of taking psychoactive substances resulting in a code blue being called. In addition there was intelligence that he may be giving out drugs. This information was available and passed onto Birmingham Prison - however they were not aware of it and did not record the information. The inquest heard that there was no time to review information of prisoners coming into the pr”
2. contraband items entering via plumbing
“It had been known for approximately 5 years that drugs and other items could be passed through the plumbing system of the prison. No action was taken before [the deceased]'s death and the inquest heard that no solution had been found to the problem. This raises an ongoing concern for the wellbeing of prisoners and the risk of future deaths”
3. contraband mobile phones facilitating drug misuse
“Many problems within the prison related to substances misuse are contributed to by the use of contraband mobile phones. The inquest heard evidence that blocking the use of mobile phones in prison would be very useful in mitigating this risk”
Linked reports
Closely relatedConfidence 0.90 · high
This report
“Many problems within the prison related to substances misuse are contributed to by the use of contraband mobile phones. The inquest heard evidence that blocking the use of mobile phones in prison would be very useful in mitigating this risk”
Later report
“Mobile phones are easily available in HM Prison High Down, as in many other prisons in England & Wales a. The access to mobile phones facilitates prisoners' conduct and finance of drug dealing, including the arranging for the delivery of drugs by drones to precise locations at specified times”
Responses
No published response was found on judiciary.uk.