Paladino
November 11th, 2014, 06:14 AM
It's quite a tragic story when you think about it, she had serious mental health problems and when she needed help the most, her problems were ignored.
THE mother of a mentally ill teenager who killed herself in Scotland’s only female prison insists a lack of proper care caused her death.
As Margaret Conway paid tribute to her “very loving and very caring, great friend” she also told how her daughter had been receiving *psychiatric care since she was just 12 years old.
Dionne Kennedy, 19, was a self-harmer and had been rushed to hospital on many occasions.
She had been on remand in Cornton Vale on a knife charge and was released on October 20, only to be re-arrested hours later on an outstanding warrant for a breach of the peace – for shouting in the street.
Following Dionne’s re-arrest she was put in the jail’s young offenders’ unit – Skye house – despite being previously held in the mental health section, where she had been *monitored round-the-clock.
She was found dead in her cell by staff last Sunday morning after taking her own life.
Margaret, 47, is demanding to know why Dionne wasn’t arrested at the prison gates but, instead, given just a few hours of freedom – which she believes tipped her over the edge.
Margaret, of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, said: “Dionne had serious mental health problems and severe self-harm problems.
“She got out on October 20 and was happy, saying, ‘My life is going to change, I am going to move on’.
“Unbeknown to her, there was an outstanding warrant for breach of the peace but instead of arresting her at the prison gates, which is what happens to 99 per cent of people, she was allowed to come home before being arrested at 10.30pm at her pal’s house.
Dionne's mum Margaret ConwayDionne's mum Margaret Conway
"Dionne didn’t drink or take drugs – she didn’t even smoke – but I believe it was the way she was arrested hours after being let go which contributed to her mental state, causing her to take her life.
“She would never have harmed anyone and the knife she was caught with would have been used to hurt herself, not anyone else.
“Dionne has been in and out of prison a few times and the prison services all know her.
“On many occasions she has been on suicide watch and under 24-hour supervision.
“In the unit she was in, there was no supervision, no surveillance, and to me that is the system letting someone down who has severe mental health problems. I’m not saying the inevitable may not have happened but she should have been in the right place.”
Paying tribute to her daughter, Margaret added: “Dionne was very intellectual and very articulate.
“She had a beautiful smile and made everyone laugh but some people only saw the so-called bad side of her, caused by her demons, which is very, very sad.”
Authorities will hold a fatal *accident inquiry in due course.
Margaret is calling for answers to a number of questions and also said she was sure Dionne wouldn’t want anyone to suffer the way she did.
The mum of five said: “I want to know why my daughter wasn’t under gate arrest and why would they let a vulnerable young adult out for a few hours, before re-arresting her again for something they already knew about.
“She was suicidal, so why didn’t they take that on board and put her back in the mental health unit?”
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: “We do not comment on individual prisoners.”
A police spokesman said: “Police can confirm a 19-year-old woman was found dead in Cornton Vale prison at 9am on November 2. Her death is being treated as non-*suspicious and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.”
From the Daily Record.
THE mother of a mentally ill teenager who killed herself in Scotland’s only female prison insists a lack of proper care caused her death.
As Margaret Conway paid tribute to her “very loving and very caring, great friend” she also told how her daughter had been receiving *psychiatric care since she was just 12 years old.
Dionne Kennedy, 19, was a self-harmer and had been rushed to hospital on many occasions.
She had been on remand in Cornton Vale on a knife charge and was released on October 20, only to be re-arrested hours later on an outstanding warrant for a breach of the peace – for shouting in the street.
Following Dionne’s re-arrest she was put in the jail’s young offenders’ unit – Skye house – despite being previously held in the mental health section, where she had been *monitored round-the-clock.
She was found dead in her cell by staff last Sunday morning after taking her own life.
Margaret, 47, is demanding to know why Dionne wasn’t arrested at the prison gates but, instead, given just a few hours of freedom – which she believes tipped her over the edge.
Margaret, of Kilwinning, Ayrshire, said: “Dionne had serious mental health problems and severe self-harm problems.
“She got out on October 20 and was happy, saying, ‘My life is going to change, I am going to move on’.
“Unbeknown to her, there was an outstanding warrant for breach of the peace but instead of arresting her at the prison gates, which is what happens to 99 per cent of people, she was allowed to come home before being arrested at 10.30pm at her pal’s house.
Dionne's mum Margaret ConwayDionne's mum Margaret Conway
"Dionne didn’t drink or take drugs – she didn’t even smoke – but I believe it was the way she was arrested hours after being let go which contributed to her mental state, causing her to take her life.
“She would never have harmed anyone and the knife she was caught with would have been used to hurt herself, not anyone else.
“Dionne has been in and out of prison a few times and the prison services all know her.
“On many occasions she has been on suicide watch and under 24-hour supervision.
“In the unit she was in, there was no supervision, no surveillance, and to me that is the system letting someone down who has severe mental health problems. I’m not saying the inevitable may not have happened but she should have been in the right place.”
Paying tribute to her daughter, Margaret added: “Dionne was very intellectual and very articulate.
“She had a beautiful smile and made everyone laugh but some people only saw the so-called bad side of her, caused by her demons, which is very, very sad.”
Authorities will hold a fatal *accident inquiry in due course.
Margaret is calling for answers to a number of questions and also said she was sure Dionne wouldn’t want anyone to suffer the way she did.
The mum of five said: “I want to know why my daughter wasn’t under gate arrest and why would they let a vulnerable young adult out for a few hours, before re-arresting her again for something they already knew about.
“She was suicidal, so why didn’t they take that on board and put her back in the mental health unit?”
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: “We do not comment on individual prisoners.”
A police spokesman said: “Police can confirm a 19-year-old woman was found dead in Cornton Vale prison at 9am on November 2. Her death is being treated as non-*suspicious and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.”
From the Daily Record.