December 19, 2005: Child's Death In Custody: No Corporate Manslaughter Charges

The Howard League for Penal Reform has condemned the decision not to bring charges against the company running the child jail where 15 year old Gareth Myatt died whilst being restrained by staff. The charity said that whilst corporate manslaughter was a notoriously difficult charge to bring, nevertheless, it was in the public interest to air the issues around a child's death in the custody of a private company in the arena of a court of law.

Gareth Myatt died in Rainsbrook secure training centre in April 2004. The Howard League asked Lord Carlile QC to conduct an independent Inquiry into the use of restraint, solitary confinement and strip searching of children in custody and the Inquiry team visited 3 of the 4 secure training centres: Rainsbrook, Hassockfield and Oakhill.

The decision not to take any action comes one week after publication of a damning inspection report into Oakhill secure training centres. It drew attention to failures around the use of physical restraint on children as well as raising serious concerns about failures in child protection, for example the fact that staff could watch children having a shower.

Howard League director Frances Crook said:

"Private companies that are prepared to make a profit out of locking up young children should be held to account when a child dies whilst being restrained by their staff."