Mother of teen found dead in prison says she was failed by the system
Video report by ITV Correspondent Amy Welch
If you're affected by the issues raised in this story please visit the Samaritans website.
A mother whose daughter died in jail says she was failed by a lack of mental health support.
Annelise Sanderson was 18 when she died at HMP Styal just before Christmas 2020.
She was the youngest woman to die in jail in the UK for almost 20 years and her mother believes her death could have been prevented.
Who was Annelise Sanderson?
Annelise was born in Runcorn and loved to sing and perform. But she was vulnerable and had lived with mental health issues for most of her life.
Last summer she stole a pair of trainers and assaulted the emergency workers who tried to intervene.
On the day of her arrest she poured petrol over herself and tried to drink it but instead of being given psychiatric treatment she was sentenced to 12 months in jail at HMP Styal, one of 12 women's prisons in England.
Was she given enough support in prison?
Annelise's mum Anglea Gray says she repeatedly told prison officers that her daughter was a suicide risk. And that her concerns were ignored.
Annelise had expected to make it out for Christmas but she was then sentenced for another previous offense which added an extra four weeks to her sentence.
On 17th December she was discharged by the mental health team and on 22nd December she was found dead in her cell.
Annelise wasn't referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist while in prison and according to a draft Ombudsman report seen by ITV News there were missed opportunities to carry out regular structured welfare checks.
She was only placed on a suicide and self-harm prevention plan for nine days and hid the full extent of her distress from staff.
The Prison and Probation Ombudsman report concluded prison staff couldn't have been expected to predict or prevent her actions. It also states they weren't properly trained in suicide prevention.
Was prison the right place for Annelise?
Earlier this year the government announced plans for an extra 500 women's prison places. But charity Inquest says prison isn’t the right place for women and that there instead needs to be better investment in community support.
Around 70 organisations have written to the Justice Secretary saying they have concerns about the plans.
They've accused the government of going against its own 2018 Female Offender Strategy which pledged to cut the numbers in custody by providing tailored community support.
Annelise is the youngest prisoner to die in an adult women’s prison since 2003 and Deborah Coles, executive director of Inquest says she shouldn't have been there in the first place and could have been cared for in the community.
What do the Ministry of Justice say? “Our thoughts remain with Annelise Sanderson’s family and friends and we will consider the findings of the Coroner and the Prison and Probation Ombudsman carefully when their investigations are complete."