Calum Inglis was 34 when he died alone in agony in a cell at HMP Addiewell in West Lothian in 2021, an injustice that stains the reputation of Scotland's penal system. Record View is demanding the Scottish Government ensure people in jail are treated humanely and safely.
Questions Over Negligence
Questions remain unanswered over how this shocking example of negligence could have been allowed to happen. Calum had been serving 18 months for a minor crime, yet it became a death sentence.
As an asthmatic who was unvaccinated, he was especially vulnerable during the Covid pandemic. After contracting the virus, Calum told his family in the days before his death that he was coughing up blood.
No Trial for Staff
Despite repeated requests for medical attention, he was never seen by a nurse. HMP Addiewell and Lothian health board have now admitted criminal charges, but not one staff member will stand trial for the catastrophic failures that led to his death.
It seems strange that Addiewell remains a privately managed prison despite the SNP government's eagerness to renationalise other key public services. Sodexo, which runs the jail, is delivering profits for shareholders from public money, despite allowing prisoners to die alone and in agony.
Call for Contract Termination
Calum's death should at least lead to the company's contract being ripped up. The Scottish Government has a duty to ensure that all prisoners are held humanely and safely.
Prison should never be a death sentence. Calum's life was cut tragically short by incompetence of the worst kind. Such an incident can never happen again.
