Justice Minister appoints members of the new Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody
17 June 2009
Justice Minister Claire Ward has today announced the appointment of the six members of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody, part of the new Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody.
Claire Ward said:
‘I congratulate all six members on their appointments. They were selected from a very strong field of applicants. The panel members bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge that will enable them to make a great contribution in this very important area.
‘The Panel’s role will be to help shape government policy in relation to deaths in custody through the provision of independent advice and expertise to the Ministerial Board on Deaths in Custody.’
Lord Toby Harris, the inaugural Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel, said:
‘I see the IAP as having an important role in reducing the number and rate of deaths in custody and look forward to working with the Panel members on this agenda in the future.’
The Panel members are:
- Simon Armson
Simon Armson is currently a clinical psychotherapist, a Mental Health Act Commissioner and a Member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal. He chaired the Mental Health Act Commission for a period in 2008/09. From 1989 to 2004, he was Chief Executive of the Samaritans, having worked as a Samaritan volunteer for 31 years, and was instrumental in developing that organisation’s work in prisons. He has a particular interest in mental health and suicide prevention. - Deborah Coles
Deborah Coles is Co-director of INQUEST. She has experience of individual casework on deaths in custody across the criminal justice system with particular emphasis on the interests of bereaved families. She has a longstanding interest in cross-sector learning. Deborah undertakes policy, research and campaigning work on the strategic issues raised by contentious deaths, their investigation, the treatment of bereaved people and state accountability. - Dr Peter Dean
Peter Dean is an experienced coroner in Suffolk and Essex and a Forensic Medical Examiner with MPS, with a background in general practice. He has knowledge and experience of deaths in police and prison custody and has provided advice, guidance and training to police custody staff for some years. - Professor Philip Leach
Philip Leach is a Professor of Human Rights at London Metropolitan University and a former Legal Director of Liberty, having originally trained as a solicitor. He has undertaken training in human rights for prosecutors, police and judges and been involved in casework with prisoners both in the UK and abroad. - Professor Richard Shepherd
Richard Shepherd is Consultant Forensic Pathologist at St George’s Hospital London and the Royal Liverpool Hospital. He is a registered Home Office Forensic Pathologist and a leading forensic pathologist in the field of deaths during restraint, with experience of deaths in all forms of custody, including natural, suicidal and homicidal causes. He is also a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel. - Professor Stephen Shute
Stephen Shute is Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice at the University of Birmingham. He is a leading academic in the field of criminal law and criminal justice, in particular on prison issues but also undertaking recent research into ethnic minorities in the criminal courts. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board on Joint Inspection in the Criminal Justice System and the Management Board of the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.
Notes to editors
- The appointment of the panel members is the next step in establishing the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody following the appointment of the Chair Lord Toby Harris in December 2008.
- The Independent Advisory Panel will form one tier of the new three-tier Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody, announced by the Ministry of Justice in July 2008, following the publication of the Fulton Review. The Fulton Report was published in February 2008 and recommended the creation of a new structure to replace the Ministerial Roundtable on Suicide and the Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody. The new Council is jointly funded by the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Health and the Home Office.
- The Ministerial Council commenced operation in April 2009. It brings together senior decision-makers and stakeholders concerned with deaths in all forms of state custody (prison, police, immigration, revenue and customs and psychiatric hospitals).
- The Panel member posts are ministerial appointments made in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice.