The circumstances surrounding the death of an Angolan who committed suicide in 2021 in a British prison will be analyzed during a judicial inquiry that will open on Monday in London.
The organization Inquest, which supports family members of people who die when they are under the responsibility of British authorities, wants the inquiry to investigate the role of racism in this case.
Sebastião Lucas, 34, died from strangulation 48 hours after being arrested in Wandsworth prison on May 12, 2021.
The Angolan, who moved to London at the age of 4 with his family, reportedly began to experience mental health problems in April 2021 and was hospitalized.
According to Inquest, on May 6, 2021, he was taken to St. Thomas’s hospital, in London, after telling the police that he was suffering from suicidal thoughts.
The following day he allegedly assaulted a nurse after she told him he would be admitted under the Mental Health Act, so he was arrested and taken to remand prison.
He was kept under constant observation due to threats of self-harm and suicide.
On May 10, he was taken to court and detained in Wandsworth prison, south London, where he arrived with a Person Monitoring Record (PER) warning of his suicidal tendencies.
Upon arrival, the Angolan told a prison nurse that he was planning to commit suicide and she activated a safety plan for prisoners at risk of suicide or harming themselves and referred him to the mental health team.
The plan also called for Lucas to be monitored hourly.
Two days after arriving at prison, on May 12, at 2:26 pm, Lucas was found unresponsive by a prison guard. Despite the intervention of emergency services, he was pronounced dead.
In a report published in August, Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor stated that Wandsworth Prison is “not safe” and that “conditions remain inhumane” due to overcrowding and other problems.
The report warned of the high rates of self-inflicted injuries and noted that seven self-inflicted deaths were recorded in the space of a year.
According to Inquest, since Lucas’ death, 24 people have died in that prison, 14 of which by suicide.
Two years ago, the organization had already produced a specific study on 22 people from different ethnic minorities who died in prison between 2015 and 2022.
The report “highlights the role of institutional racism in the prison sector”, citing “the inappropriate use of segregation, racial stereotypes, the hostile environment, the neglect of physical and mental health, the inability to respond to warning signs and intimidation and persecution of people from ethnic minorities”.
The judicial inquest into Sebastião Lucas, which is mandatory when the death is not due to natural causes, will take place at the Inner West London Coroner’s Court, southwest London, and is expected to last three weeks.
Source: www.cmjornal.pt
