Teenager dies at Polmont Young Offenders Institution

A teenager has died at Scotland’s young offender institution, where a “catalogue of failures” was found following the deaths of two other vulnerable prisoners.

The 19-year-old male died at Polmont YOI in Falkirk on Sunday, the Scottish Prison Service confirmed.

STV News understands that the teen was being held in the protection wing of the prison for reasons unrelated to the offence he was jailed for.

The death is not being treated as suspicious.

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A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “This is a tragic loss and our thoughts are with all those who knew and supported him.

“In line with established procedures, Police Scotland have been notified and the case has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal. A Fatal Accident Inquiry will be carried out in due course.

“We are committed to improving safety, care and wellbeing across the prison estate. Together with our partners, we will continue to learn, deepen our understanding, and strengthen the systems and supports that protect people in our care.”

Katie Allan and William Lindsay. STV News

It comes a year after an inquiry found that systemic failures contributed to the preventable suicides of Katie Allan, 21, and William Lindsay, 16, at the institution in 2018.

A judge ruled that there were multiple failures by prison and healthcare staff to properly identify, record and share information relevant to Katie’s risk in accordance with the Scottish Prison Service’s Talk to Me (TTM) suicide prevention strategy.

In William’s case, Sheriff Collins found his death resulted from a catalogue of individual and collective failures by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and healthcare staff in Polmont.

It was recommended that the SPS take steps to reduce the risk of suicide by removing harmful fixtures and fittings inside standard cells at Polmont.

He also said ministers should establish a system to ensure that all written information and documentation available to a court when a young person is sent to custody is passed to the SPS at the time of their admission.

It was also suggested that SPS should provide a dedicated 24-hour telephone number for families to report any concerns they have relevant to the suicide risk of a prisoner and put in place a system to ensure that such concerns are immediately acted upon and recorded.

The Scottish Government accepted in full the findings and recommendations of the inquiry.

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