What kind of society allows for and tolerates the existence of children's prisons? A 14 year old boy is locked up in a prison 150 miles from his mother, and he cannot bear the regime as he wrote in this poignant suicide note "I need to be at home with you. I need to be at home in my own bed or my head will crack up. I will probably try to kill myself and I will probably succeed this time. I can't stay in here." Meanwhile, a private security company profits from this misery.
If this is being 'tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime', then Tony Blair and John Reid should be hanging their heads in shame.
Why this inquest has taken 4 years to open is beyond me. This in itself must have been an unbearable sentence upon the mother.
It is also a shame that the coroner in one breath has stated that there should be the fullest scrutiny, and in the next breath ordered the inquest jury that it should not apportion any blame.
Given that Adam was a clear suicide risk, surely the authorities are to blame for not caring for him better?
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