NEW|Scottish COVID-19 inquiry|28 March 2024

Disturbing evidence from Nancy Loucks, OBE, Chief Executive of Families Outside.

Testimony i’ve not previously covered from the health and social care hearings. Contains some harrowing details.

Introduction

Families Outside is the only national charity working in Scotland that supports families that are affected by imprisonment. Prof Nancy Loucks OBE is the Chief Executive of Families Outside. She was awarded an OBE in the 2015/16 New Year’s Honours List for services to Education and Human Rights.

‘‘Families were worried about people being depressed, suicidal, isolated, and at risk of illness.’’

-Paragraph 46 of statement

‘‘In one case, a family was worried that the person in prison risked losing a leg due to infection and missed follow-up appointments at hospital. Another family member contacted us about someone who missed their chemotherapy appointment because the escort driver could not find a parking space at the hospital so had simply left.’’

-Paragraph 129 of statement

‘‘One family we supported related to a young boy with autism who could not understand why he could not visit his dad in prison. The boy was suicidal on the back of this. That was a particularly disturbing case.’’

-Paragraph 135 of statement

Testimony highlights

Public ‘health’

• Prisoners locked in cells for 23 hours 30mins per day.

• No family contact.

• Adverse mental health impacts.

• Prisoners scared to use telephone due to COVID risk.

‘‘They were locked in so much of the time..23 and a half hours.’’

Statement highlights

All in the name of health ‘COVID’ above all else.

‘‘1 in 4 contacts to our Helpline were from callers with a concern for someone in prison. This included a 51% increase in calls from family members worried about the mental health of someone in prison.’’

-Paragraph 41

‘‘In-person visits to prisons were suspended from the start of lockdown through the end of the pandemic...No alternative method of contact was available, other than letters or telephone calls on the shared hall telephone (assuming people were allowed out to use them - people were kept locked in their cells for 23 hours, with all regular activities suspended) until video calls and mobile phones were introduced in June 2020. For the one hour (and sometimes half an hour) people were allowed out of their cells, they had to make a choice between showers, outdoor exercise, or telephone calls, and families noted that many people in prison were hesitant to use shared hall telephones in view of the risk of transmission of disease.’’

-Paragraph 49

‘‘In June 2020, we saw a 247% increase in enquiries compared to the previous year. This stabilised as both families and prisons adjusted to the life during the pandemic.’’

-Paragraph 53

‘‘In-person prison visits resumed on 26 April 2021 on a reduced timetable, subject to local arrangements (e.g. local outbreaks).’’

-Paragraph 108

‘‘An impact of the pandemic on people held in prison was that they had no access to outside services. These services such as third sector mental health or addiction services were not allowed into prisons. There was also no access to education or work. There was not a lot for people held in prison to do.’’

-Paragraph 110

‘‘In the prison estate, you are considered "elderly if you are aged over 50.’’

-Paragraph 124

‘‘Currently, we have concerns surrounding the management of long-term health conditions of the prison population in Scotland. It has always been a concern, and families raise these concerns with us. Families cannot get information or participate in conversations about care plans unless the person in prison specifically requests it. Sometimes some families are not notified when someone has been taken to hospital.’’

-Paragraph 131

‘‘Even when prison visiting resumed, there as a restriction on hugging and physical contact. This applied to everyone over the age of twelve. That meant that a child under age twelve could hug their mum or dad but not a child who was over twelve. Families can now hug again.’’

-Paragraph 133

‘‘Our staff and families were having difficulty reaching someone in prison to enquire about the welfare of people held in prison.’’

-Paragraph 134

‘‘This extended time limit for remand prisoners is still in place. Families do not know how long someone is going to be held on remand and neither do the remand prisoners. These people are not convicted.’’

-Paragraph 142

‘‘I have also received anonymised information from two family members regarding their experiences during the pandemic. I have included this information within Appendices.’’

-Paragraph 153

The end of the statement shares two personal stories not covered during oral evidence.

Appendix A Lived experience from anonymous person known as 'L

‘‘People held in prison weren't able to access health care as readily as before, for example they couldn't get their medication at the right times…People in prison are really only just coming out of lockdown now (delayed compared to people in the community.’’

-Page 24

Appendix B Lived experience from anonymous person known as 'A'

‘‘My, then fit and independent 85-year-old mother was admitted to hospital in February 2020 and contracted Covid whilst there. We were unable to visit her, which accelerated her decline into dementia, and by the time she was transferred to a care home in July, she had pretty much forgotten my son. He was allowed to make just one phone call to her in hospital after the intervention by [Families Outside] helpline staff but was refused any further calls, which was devastating for them both.’’

-Page 25 Email, 30/1/24

‘‘It is already one of the most difficult things families can suffer, and yet we had to witness our loved ones being treated as less than worthy of basic rights such as fresh air, exercise, personal safety, good health, hygiene and a relationship with loved ones, which we on the outside were also denied.’’

-Page 26 Email, 30/1/24

‘‘By far the biggest concern is lack of opportunity to stay in meaningful contact with loved ones. This is due to a number of related but presumably not insurmountable changes to regime. In the hall concerned, prisoners are locked in cells for 23 and a half hours a day. During the remaining 30 minutes, they must attend to everything else that enables them to stay well. This means choosing to prioritise between calling loved ones, cleaning cells, discussing daily meal selections and / or emergent problems / issues with staff or to shower. If choosing to phone home, most of the thirty minutes is spent queuing for the phone. In this hall, the 30 minutes allocated is around 8am.This means that it has also become almost impossible for prisoners to contact their lawyers.’’

-Page 26 Email, 19/4/20

Media turnout

Additional feedback from Scottish prisoners about their lockdown experiences can be read here.

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