
Sarah Reed
On January 11, Sarah Reed, 32 years old, Black, living with mental health issues and drug addiction, the victim of a famous police brutality case, was “found dead” in her cell at Holloway Prison, north of London. Her death went relatively unreported for almost a month, until the family managed to contact Black activist, Lee Jasper, and so now the reports of “failings” begin. There was no failure. The State got what it wanted: Sarah Reed is dead.
In 2012, Sarah Reed was viciously attacked by a Metropolitan Police officer. The attack was caught on camera, and, in 2014, the officer was dismissed from the force.
In October 2014, Sarah Reed was in a mental health hospital when she allegedly attacked someone. Her family says she wrote to them saying she had acted in self-defense. On January 4, Sarah Reed was shipped over to Holloway Prison, to await trial. While there, according to her family, she received no mental health treatment.
Prison authorities have claimed that Sarah Reed “strangled herself” while in her bed. Her family doubts that narrative. Further, they say they were called to the prison to identify Sarah Reed and then were prevented from seeing her body and were treated “in a hostile and aggressive manner.”
None of this is new, and none of it is surprising. Holloway Prison, the largest women’s prison in western Europe, is slated to be closed, precisely because it is unfit for human habitation. As outgoing Chief Inspector of Prisons, Nick Hardwick, noted, “Holloway has a fearsome reputation.” When Holloway’s imminent closure was announced, some hoped that the closure would begin a “prison revolution”, but they had forgotten that Holloway had already undergone its revolution. From 1971 to 1985, it had been “completely rebuilt”, and yet it remained a fearsome, loathsome place.
That’s where the State sent Sarah Reed. There was no failure. The State wanted Sarah Reed dead, and Sarah Reed is dead. What happened to Sarah Reed happened to Sandra Bland happened to Natasha McKenna happened to Kindra Chapman happens. Rebuilding the prison never ends, or even diminishes, State torture of Black women. Shut it down.
(Photo Credit: Lee Jasper / Vice)
Why the old Holloway Prison in north London should become a new women’s building https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/nandini-archer/reclaim-holloway-prison-london-womens-building
Feminist Activists Occupy Women’s Prison After 10-Hour Standoff with Police https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/sisters-uncut-holloway-prison-occupation
Domestic violence services are in crisis. That’s why we’re reclaiming Holloway prison https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/01/domestic-violence-services-occupying-holloway-prison-sisters-uncut-cuts-women
In Holloway https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2017/06/20/mary-hannity/in-holloway/
Sarah Reed: Prison officer ‘told to delay calling ambulance’ after woman’s body found dead in cell http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sarah-reed-latest-news-prison-officer-ambulance-delay-holloway-prison-woman-body-found-dead-cell-a7823411.html
Mentally ill woman died in cell after monitoring was reduced, inquest hears https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/04/sarah-reed-mentally-ill-woman-died-in-cell-after-monitoring-was-reduced-inquest-hears
Sarah Reed inquest: cell death inmate was “completely psychotic” http://islingtontribune.com/article/sarah-reed-inquest-cell-death-inmate-was-completely-psychotic-before-she-died
Sarah Reed inquest: cell death inmate was on hospital move list http://islingtontribune.com/article/sarah-reed-inquest-start
Care failings contributed to death of woman in prison, inquest finds https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jul/20/care-failings-contributed-to-death-of-woman-sarah-reed-in-prison-inquest-finds
A Black Woman Who Took Her Own Life In Prison Wasn’t Given The Mental Health Support She Needed https://www.buzzfeed.com/fionarutherford/a-black-woman-who-took-her-own-life-in-prison-wasnt-given?utm_term=.wrL96E4mm#.eyENL0YXX
Those who failed Sarah Reed must be held to account https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/24/sarah-reed-death-avoidable-mental-illness-holloway-prison
Sarah Reed Inquest: Prison Failure Contributed To Death http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/sarah-reed-inquest-prison-failure-contributed-death
Sarah Reed death: Mentally ill ‘should not be assessed in prison’ http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-40901814#
‘Bad girls’ in Holloway prison: when being a ‘loud’ black woman was an offence in itself https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/caitlin-davies/bad-girls-in-holloway-prison-black-women-extract
Government going backwards over women in jail, says Labour peer https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/02/government-backwards-rehabilitation-women-jail-inquest-labour-peer
Nearly 100 women die in prison over 11-year period due ‘glaring failures’ by government, says report https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/women-inmates-deaths-prison-uk-government-failure-protection-police-figures-a8330576.html
Families of prisoners who killed themselves express their anger https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/21/families-of-prisoners-who-killed-themselves-express-their-anger
Mentally ill prisoners face months-long waits for hospital transfer https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/21/mentally-ill-prisoners-face-months-long-waits-for-hospital-transfer?
Failing healthcare in jails is killing female prisoners | Deborah Coles https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/apr/05/healthcare-jails-killing-female-prisoners-black-women-annabella-landsberg
Who will hold the police to account for racist acts that criminalise a community? | Afua Hirsch https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/30/police-racist-criminalise-communities-stop-and-search
Say Their Names: 12 Victims of Police and State Brutality in the UK https://www.vice.com/en/article/qj4j8x/remembering-police-brutality-victims-uk