Chelmsford prison’s suicide prevention measures criticised by ombudsman

By Lewis Adams & Piers MylerBBC News, Essex & Local Democracy Reporting Service

BBC

A report found the suicide and self-harm monitoring protocol had been stopped the day after Paul Joseph’s arrival

A jail’s suicide prevention measures have been criticised by the prison’s ombudsman after an inmate killed himself within days of arriving.

Paul Joseph, 46, had been remanded to HMP Chelmsford on 24 February 2021, charged with attempted murder.

Mr Joseph was not being monitored when he was found hanged in his cell on 2 March, and the ombudsman said warnings had been ignored.

The Ministry of Justice said Chelmsford had improved its safety measures.

Mr Joseph, who had been also been charged with kidnap, had told court staff he would kill himself if he was sent to prison, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Despite prison staff being warned about what Mr Joseph said, they stopped the suicide and self-harm monitoring protocol, known as ACCT, the day after his arrival.

Elizabeth Moody, deputy prisons and probation ombudsman, said in her report that staff had “ignored” warnings from the court about Mr Joseph’s comments.

She added the prison also failed to wait for a mental health assessment before they stopped ACCT monitoring.

A report from the most recent full inspection of Chelmsford by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP), in May and June 2018, had also raised concerns about how inmates at risk of self-harm and suicide were managed.

It noted there were 16 self-inflicted deaths over the previous eight years, and four since the last inspection, and too many recommendations from the ombudsman had not been implemented.

The inquest into Mr Joseph’s death recorded a narrative conclusion, finding the ACCT should have been left open on 25 February.

It concluded Mr Joseph did not receive adequate care or support from prison or healthcare staff at Chelmsford.

‘Poor judgement’

The criticism comes two years after previous reports highlighted failings about ACCT at Chelmsford Prison.

HMIP said in 2021 that despite serious concerns raised in 2018 and the subsequent intervention of the ombudsman, outcomes had deteriorated in those three years.

The ombudsman said she was concerned the same issues arising in February 2021 had been found again following Mr Joseph’s death.

She added: “I consider that staff showed poor judgement and stopped ACCT monitoring too soon. This is not the first time I have raised concerns about ACCT management at Chelmsford.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Since this incident, HMP Chelmsford has improved its safety procedures to better spot and support those at risk of self-harm and suicide including rolling out training for all staff.”

It said more than 85% of staff had received suicide and self-harm training, and that would rise to 100% within three months. An additional 16 safety officers and two custodial managers had been put in place since 2021, the MoJ said.