Introduction

This book has examined post-prison suicide oversight mechanisms, contributing to public bureaucracy oversight scholarship. The first analysis of post-prison suicide investigations under Article 2 and the NPM has been provided using the case study of England and Wales. England and Wales has a substantial prison monitoring and post-death investigations framework, yet experienced record numbers of prison suicides in 2016 following swingeing staff cuts. Chapter One detailed the global importance of analysing prison suicide investigations, emphasising that ‘manipulative’ prisoner behaviour can be lethal and illustrating the underappreciated roles of suicidogenic discourses, institutional apathy and prisoner stigmatisation in suicide prevention.

Chapter Two explored how post-suicide investigations operate in England and Wales, describing the police, Ombudsman and Coroner investigations that usually form the Article 2-compliant investigation, and considering potential criminal prosecutions and HSE activity. It illustrated these investigations through the 2013–2016 suicide cluster at HMP Woodhill, arguing that existing investigations provide no shortage of vigorous critique, although there is a problematic lag between the death and subsequent findings. Chapter Two identified limitations in Article 2, which does not require that lessons produced by post-death investigations be applied, and does not direct accountability towards those with capacity to implement said lessons, who are primarily senior politicians. Chapter Two challenged the discourse of lesson learning, which can manufacture mystery around what are often entirely manifest and previously identified issues, and may obfuscate the contribution of political decisions to issues. Chapter Three considered how the full complement of post-suicide investigations are experienced, highlighting the burden that these investigations can impose on bereaved families and prison staff. It raised concerns about the degree of scrutiny to which prison staff can be subjected, given their limited agency and training, and recommended a stateresourced independent support service for bereaved families. This chapter explores what post-suicide investigations achieve, which is linked to broader prison oversight.

Prison oversight is an important ‘counterweight to potential abuse of the special powers of the state’ (Hood et al, 1999: 116) and there is a complex, ‘wide and overlapping field of bodies with inspection or regulatory powers within and across criminal justice’ (Owers, 2010: 239). Nevertheless, there is a ‘striking’ lack of research on prison oversight (Seddon, 2010: 279).