Prosecuting Polmont

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Katie and William killed themselves at Polmont Young Offenders Institution. Who's liable?

Katie Allan and William Lindsay killed themselves in Polmont Young Offenders Institution. Katie's mum Linda Allan wants the Scottish Prison Service prosecuted over their deaths.

In 2018, within a few months of each other, Katie Allan and William Lindsay took their own lives at Polmont Young Offenders Institution in Scotland. There have been nine suicides at Polmont since 2012 and the overall suicide rate in Scottish prisons is at a record high. 

Katie's mum Linda believes many of these deaths were avoidable. She was told by the Crown Office that there were sufficient grounds for prosecuting the Scottish Prison Service for potential failures of duty of care to both Katie and William, but they couldn't proceed because, unlike the police, the NHS, or even a private prison, the prison service has immunity from prosecution. 

With a Fatal Accident Inquiry about to open into Katie and William's deaths, Linda has little faith it will hold the prison accountable. 

Dani Garavelli          Presenter and Researcher
Liza Greig                Producer
Elizabeth Clark        Executive Producer

BBC Scotland Productions for BBC Radio 4

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