February 3, 2010: Deaths In Custody Website

The Independent Advisory Panel, part of the Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody, has launched a new independent website.

The Panel provides independent advice to ministers on deaths in state custody. This covers deaths which occur in prisons, in or following police custody, immigration detention, the deaths of residents of approved premises and the deaths of those detained under the Mental Health Act in hospital. The new website includes details about panel members, meetings, lessons learned from deaths in custody and guidance on preventing and reducing deaths.

Independent Advisory Panel Chair Lord Toby Harris commented:

‘I am pleased to announce the launch of the IAP’s official website. The IAP is committed to consulting and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in order to collect, analyse and disseminate relevant information about deaths in custody and the lessons that can be learned from them. The aim is that as the website develops, it will be used as a resource for those working within the different custodial sectors to share good practice and learning on preventing and reducing the number of deaths in custody’.

The Independent Advisory Panel is part of a three-tier Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody, along with the Ministerial Board and the Practitioner and Stakeholder Group. The Ministerial Council is funded by the Ministry of Justice, Department of Health and the Home Office.

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