It is important that the tragic death recently of Caroline Daly, who died alone in a prison cell five hours after being committed there, should be discussed. I welcome the opportunity to raise the issue and express my condolences to her family. Her death raises questions which we should consider in detail. The death of this young woman is a poignant reminder of the experience of women, many of whom are disadvantaged and who, on a continual basis, are in and out of the women's prison.
I have a number of concerns which date back over a long period about the standards, conditions and appropriateness of the women's prison. Improvements have been made but the women and staff are in old and unsuitable buildings. In the contacts I have had with the staff in the women's prison I heard of their efforts to help them while in prison and afterwards.
The imprisonment of Caroline Daly for a petty crime raises many questions. Was this an appropriate response to a young heroin addicted woman desperate to get money to feed her habit? Was a single prison cell the place for her to be kept? If a more developed methadone maintenance programme had been available to her or if there had been more developed community services able to provide timely responses, could she have dealt in a better way with her addiction and not ended up in prison?
We often read of the lack of prison spaces, but it is ironic that this young woman should end up in a single cell on her own when so many hardened criminals are released after a short period because of a shortage of places. Her death reminds us of the disturbing evidence from other jurisdictions that when women come to the attention of courts they are dealt with in a more punitive way. We must guard against this and monitor sentencing practice.
This woman's death also raises the question of the availability of treatment of drug addicted prisoners in our prisons. There is an ambivalence and uncertainty in our approach to prisons. On the one hand we want to see determined criminals being dealt with more strictly, punitively and thoroughly. Yet, on the other hand, we know we need a prison system in which standards are effective, prison staff supported and reasonable standards of accommodation and services apply. There should be an independent inspectorate of prisons and I ask the Minister to consider the idea.
Referral to prison was not an imaginative response to this young woman. Effective earlier responses and investment in programmes are needed which help young people to avoid drugs or to regain control of their lives.
The prison service and justice system have been overloaded for many years. To her credit, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Owen, had begun to overhaul the criminal justice and prison systems in the short time she has been in office. The task is immense. Caroline Daly's death is another indication that we should take the treatment of drug addicts seriously and embark on a real programme of prison reform. A proper women's prison is needed with appropriate facilities to help tackle the problems which cause most of the women to engage in relatively minor crimes. We also need an independent inspectorate of prisons.
