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[Vector]

Goes to show that our horrible prison system is not just a US problem...

[Gentlefish]

Teenager forced to give birth in cell alone, has to bite through the umbilical cord, newborn dies by the next morning. Nobody shows up until other prisoners learn what's happening and alert the guards.

Prison responds by ordering counseling...for the pigs who were guarding her cell.

Further commentary on my part would violate forum rules.

Hey that sounds like felony murder to me. Why are they getting counseling after their criminal neglect led directly to the death of a person?
PPE: Oh, looks like England. Still, I'm sure they have similar laws on the books.

[Rolan7]

Pre-edit: I was arguing murder too but I think it'd technically "just" be neglect, in the US.  Even though I think they neglected her intentionally when they had a duty of care.  IDK, IANAL.
Seems like she was terrified that she'd lose her child shortly after delivery.  She was threatening suicide if it happened, and I'm going to guess was not in a healthy state of mind altogether.  What that means to me is that they should have, you know... watched her more closely?  I don't know if she was premature, but stress can trigger that.  She was receiving medical care (without ANY privacy, apparently) so the guards had to know she could go into labor at any time.

Not only did they neglect to notice her go into labor...  Their own records show that she called for help three times. 

I do not care how much animosity had built up, nothing could justify what they did: isolate her during a likely medical emergency.  I didn't see any sort of explanation for how they missed the situation, and I don't think there can be one.

Even a violent offender... wait wait, she was "on remand", she hadn't even been tried yet??  Christ!  First-time charge, too.
Okay but *even* a violent offender must be provided with proper medical care.  You know, like these guards when they definitely go to prison themselves /s.  But seriously, it's not a problem that they're getting counseling.  What's important is that the system somehow failed to provide the mother with proper counseling (including BEFORE this happened, when she was terrified).

Also if the guards could face justice for what they did, that would make other guards think twice next time.  It's great that imprisoned mothers are getting more phone access for services though, hopefully that makes it easier to expose dangerous conditions like these before they become deadly.

[Zangi]

Sounds like she had the audacity to lose her child when she called for help and everyone ignored it.  Shame on her, you poor mentally scarred guards.

/s

[Rolan7]

This must have been traumatic both for the the mother losing her newborn child, and the guards who ignored her cell.
Yes, it must have been hard for her to... 
Well, you know.
Alone in a cell, calling for help.  That help being registered, but not acknowledged.

...sorry.  I'm, sorry.
Regardless, justice can't exist without a sincere defense.  I'm just some idiot, maybe there's some nuance I've missed.

If it's something she said wrong while in a state of abject terror and being harassed (constantly observed) during medical treatment, then I understand (that it changes nothing, as I explained).
It's just so strange that they observed her so closely, and then were unable to hear her pleas.

[TD1]

Perhaps it was a case of crying wolf? I suspect there's a lot more context to the situation than the newspaper suggests.

To clarify: Information that would help explain why there was neglect, not information that would disprove neglect - it's obvious she was mistreated, regardless of how difficult she was.

Edit:

On one occasion when she had a bleed she requested a nurse but was given no privacy. “She wanted me to open my legs with the cell door wide open and male guards standing outside,” she recalled.

Though I fail to see why this is a bad thing. The alternative is to make a nurse go into a cell, shut the door behind her/him, and then leave her/him alone with the prisoner. Which seems problematic for multiple reasons.

The only thing would be having female guards, but it's entirely possible there were no female guards on duty at that time, it being a male-dominated profession for obvious reasons.

[Vector]

A woman who is heavily pregnant really does not need to be all that guarded. The least they could do is get her a fucking screen.

[TD1]

Eh. I think there's a long (and understandable) precedent of being careful, no matter the appearances. Guards outside hospital doors, no matter if they're handcuffed and unconscious. I can imagine how most would react to the headline 'Nurse Attacked - No Guards at Door - Pregnant Prisoner Hunted through Hallways.' It would be seen as dereliction of the prison's duty to protect visitors and inmates alike.

As for a screen, maybe? I'm not sure how cells are arranged, and therefore can't say if it's practical and/or safe; the two things any prison needs to focus on.

[Grim Portent]

There's also the option of taking the inmate to the prison infirmary to be examined. It would take more time but when you have a person with a serious medical condition, such as pregnancy, then more time and effort should be getting spent on them.

[nenjin]

There's also the option of taking the inmate to the prison infirmary to be examined. It would take more time but when you have a person with a serious medical condition, such as pregnancy, then more time and effort should be getting spent on them.

Using the infirmary for a medical procedure? No. Makes too much sense.

[TD1]

https://www.gov.uk/life-in-prison/healthcare-in-prison

Most prisons don't have specialised healthcare facilities, though 'many' have in-patient beds.

It may have been better to keep the prisoner in her cell. She wouldn't be subjected to unnecessary movement while she had a bleed. I'm no doctor, but I'd assume the only justifiable reason for movement would be to access specialised equipment which they likely didn't have. Also, a cell is doubtless more private than an in-patient bed, assuming this prison was one of the 'many' to have them.

[nenjin]

Right. I'm sure there was a "reasonable" justification for her needing to chew through the umbilical cord herself too. And I'm sure leaving a new born baby in a cell was also totally within procedure, and its death was totally unavoidable.

[TD1]

Oh no, that's inexcusable. She called for help three times and didn't receive medical assistance.

I'm discussing a separate, anecdotal case reported in that article. It described a different pregnant mother's experience in an unnamed-yet-probably-different prison. Obviously it's meant to showcase the horrors of prison maternity. But... well, a desire for privacy is understandable and deserving of sympathy. But it's not necessarily practical or manageable.

On one occasion when she had a bleed she requested a nurse but was given no privacy. “She wanted me to open my legs with the cell door wide open and male guards standing outside,” she recalled.

^The quote.

[nenjin]

Every time I've read that all I can think is "Turn her around so she can have a modicum of privacy. The guards can stand at the open door but she doesn't need to be facing them." She's on her back with her legs apart, what's she gonna do? /shrug

[TD1]

I mean

The guards are at the door, but that doesn't mean they're looking in. I doubt their job is to observe, just to be on hand in case they're needed. And she doesn't say which way she was facing.