A damning report on Isle of Man Prison has been published following the death of an inmate who took his own life.

Christopher Corkill was found dead in his cell at the Jurby prison on February 24, 2023. The 46-year-old had suffocated himself.

The situation was exacerbated by the fact this was the third self-inflicted death at the prison since March 2020.

Mr Corkill had a history of self-harm and was supported by suicide and self-harm prevention measures, known as Folder 5, when he first arrived at Isle of Man Prison in July  2022.

However, the Prison Ombudsman Adrian Usher found the overall care provided to Mr Corkill by Manx Care was not equivalent to that which he could have expected to receive in the community.

The report, published this month, found the response to a medical emergency inadequate and mental health services within the prison were ‘inadequate, unsafe, and not equivalent to what is available in the wider community’.

However, both the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and Manx Care have made improvements since Mr Corkill’s death with the DHA revealing 70% of the improvements cited in this report and one by the His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) have been introduced.

In the Prison Ombudsman report Mr Usher said the Department of Health and Social Care and Manx Care should review the current provision of mental health services at Isle of Man Prison and provide a dedicated mental health service.

He said: ‘We found, as did HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, the management of prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm was inadequate. Too much emphasis was placed on staff/prisoner relationships and prior knowledge of the person.

‘The clinical reviewer found the mental health provision at Isle of Man was inadequate, unsafe and the care Mr Corkill received was not equivalent to that which he could have expected to receive in the community.’

The Prison Ombudsman investigation followed a separate inspection from (HMIP) which took place between February and March last year.

It was the first inspection since 2011 and inspectors found many ‘missed opportunities and poor systems of accountability’ with 14 areas of concern identified.

A follow-up review was conducted, between April 30 and May 2 this year, where the inspectors found ‘encouraging’ improvements with ‘good’ or ‘reasonable’ progress made against nine of the concerns. 

But the Prison Ombudsman report has made 16 recommendations on the likes of mental health provision, medical care and how to deal with a prison death.

In reacting to the Prison Ombudsman report, the DHA said: ‘The Isle of Man Prison has introduced a number of improvements since the Prison Ombudsman undertook this review in summer 2023. 

‘These improvements were acknowledged during the recent HMIP visit, and have already had a hugely positive impact on processes at the Prison – with over 70% of the actions identified having been tackled.

‘This has included changing the way vulnerable prisoners are monitored, moving from a ‘folder 5’ system, to a more robust ‘ACCT’ process. Additionally more pro-active processes, training and support has been put in place for staff.

‘The Prison have also focussed on improving  family ties, education access and range, and updating public protection orders and interventions that take place with prisoners.’