Kevin Scarlett

Kevin Scarlett, 30, was a kind-hearted son, brother and uncle. Kevin was a White man from Milton Keynes who experienced mental ill health from a young age after a family bereavement aged 13 .

In 2013, Kevin was remanded at Woodhill Prison where he warned staff that he would attempt suicide. Despite this, prison staff classified him as low risk, putting Kevin in a cell on his own for 22 hours a day with no TV, radio and little contact with others.

After a few months at Woodhill, Kevin died a self-inflicted death alone in his cell.

An inquest jury was highly critical of the 'care' that Kevin received at Woodhill and returned a verdict of "accidental suicide". The inquest highlighted the failure to properly assess the risk of self-harm and suicide.

Milton Keynes coroner Tom Osborne wrote to NHS England and the National Offender Management Service over the lack of provision in prisons for people with mental ill health.

A 2016 report revealed that Woodhill Prison had the highest rate of self-inflicted deaths of prisons in England and Wales.

Kevin’s family continued to campaign to expose the prison’s failures. His step-brother Lee Jarman worked tirelessly with other bereaved families, contributing to the SoulsINQUEST exhibition and a project called Woodhill with LUNG Theatre.