Trace the history of state violence and how INQUEST has campaigned alongside bereaved families and others to push for change from 1981-2021. This interactive timeline maps a fragment of the people who have died, campaigning milestones and legal changes in our on-going pursuit of justice.
Blair Peach was a 33-year-old schoolteacher and active trade unionist from New Zealand.
Jimmy Kelly was a 53-year-old labourer from Merseyside who loved socialising and was known to sing the odd song on the way home from the pub.
Dublin-born Matthew O'Hara, 41, was a writer and advocate for the rights of mental health patients in Hackney, London.
Barry Dennis Prosser was a 32-year-old carpenter from the Midlands, who was a devoted and much-loved family man.
Families, friends, campaigners and lawyers came together to set up a new campaign for justice.
Paul Barrington Worrell, 21, was a promising young boxer from Plumstead.
James Heather-Hayes was a talented 18-year-old from London who loved punk rock, anarchism and writing poetry.
This marked the start of INQUEST's casework service.
On 21 October 1982, a jury inquest found that Jim Heather Hayes died through 'lack of care'.
Colin Roach was a friendly 21-year-old tailor's cutter from east London, who enjoyed boxing and socialising.
Marc Urbanowicz becomes INQUEST's Northern Worker.
Sociable and popular John Mikkelson was a 34-year-old motorbike enthusiast from west London.
Jamaica-born Cynthia Leonora Jarrett, 49, was a generous and popular mother of five from Tottenham, north London.
Mark Sancto was a loving 44-year-old man from Bedford.
Melissa Benn and Ken Worpole examine deaths in police custody in London through the voices of families and friends.
Three case studies of public order and policing in London by Tony Ward.
INQUEST sends an official observer to the Gibraltar Shootings inquest
97 people died at or following the Liverpool - Nottingham Forest FA cup semi-final. Utter failures in policing and crowd control led to a fatal crush. This marked the start of a decades-long journey for justice.
51 people died when two vessels collided on the River Thames. Several inquests and then an inquiry happened over more than a decade.
Teenager Philip Knight was an intelligent 15-year-old from Dyfed in Wales who had hopes of going to university.
Oliver Ricardo Pryce was a 30-year-old former international karate star and father from Wolverhampton.
Teenager Simon Willerton was a 17-year-old from Yorkshire who loved making his friends laugh with his impressions of celebrities.
Written by David Bergman, INQUEST jointly published this booklet with the London Hazards Centre and the Workers' Educational Association.
Londoner Michael Jamieson, 33, affectionately known as Mickey to his friends and family, was popular man in his community.
Longstanding campaign to highlight deaths in prison.
Jamaican-born Orville Blackwood, 31, was a much-loved father and son from south London.
To provide legal support through a reserve of willing and able lawyers to represent bereaved families at inquests.
Omasese Lumumba, 32, came from a political family and sought asylum in Britain after fleeing torture and violence in the DRC.
The voices of the bereaved have always been essential to INQUEST's work. In the 1990s there was a more active focus on bridging connections between families, which has continued to be a core part of the charity's work.
Furniture salesman Richard O'Brien, 37, was a friendly father of seven who moved to London from Ireland.
Much-loved Carl Owens was a 22-year-old man from Bow in east London.
Stuart Ford, 30, was the much-loved partner of Valerie Hannington.
INQUEST Charitable Trust founded as a sister organisation to support INQUEST.
Families demand justice and legal aid.
Stephanie Lightfoot-Bennett performs in the play about her brother who died in police custody in 1992.
Kenneth Epiphane Severin was 25-year-old father from south-east London who was much loved by his family.
‘Is there "access to justice" after deaths in custody’?
In 1996 Professor Mick Ryan wrote a book charting the radical roots of INQUEST. Find out more about his longstanding involvement with INQUEST and connections of abolitionist organising in the 1970s and 1980s.
David Green was a promising 15-year-old brother and son from Hartlepool in north-east England.
Pamphlet written by Keir Starmer on 'The Police and the Criminal Justice System: The cases of Lapite, O'Brien, and Treadaway'.
Article 2 - the right to life: 'Everyone's right to life shall be protected by law'.
This first issue explores the challenges facing inquest lawyers.
Roger Sylvester was a much-loved 31-year-old from Tottenham in London.
Family forums were created as way for bereaved people to come together for mutual support and sharing.
Held by Liberty and JUSTICE to commemorate Human Rights Day, INQUEST was awarded in recognition of its "high-quality specialist casework".
Painter and decorator Harry Stanley, 46, was a father, grandfather and husband to childhood sweetheart Irene who came to London from Scotland in the 1970s.
The United Families and Friends Campaign began as a collective of families, friends and supporters to protest at the deaths of Black people in custody. Founded in 1997, they have organised an annual procession from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street since 1999.
Cheryl Simone Hartman, 20, was a bright and loving daughter and sister from north-west London.
He wrote this poem as a part of a residency at Tooks Court Chambers, which was reproduced on the back of INQUEST's annual report to mark its 20th anniversary.
Joseph Scholes was an intelligent 16-year-old from Greater Manchester who was a champion at Monopoly and a master Lego builder.
Sarah Campbell, 18, was a gifted schoolgirl from Cheshire whose artistic talents often impressed her teachers.
Much-missed Petra Blanksby was a 19-year-old twin and mum from Chesterfield, whose family spoke of her ability to warm the hearts of everyone around her.
Rebecca Smith was an intelligent 40-year-old woman and devoted mother-of-two from Bath.
Paul Calvert, 40, was a loving son and father of two from east London.
The poet, writer and campaigner was our patron for over 20 years.
Barry Goldson and Deborah Coles write the first detailed analysis of child deaths in custody.
Talented footballer Azelle Rodney was a 24-year-old from northwest London who was looking forward to becoming a father.
Dance theatre production based on a death in custody.
Helen Shaw and Deborah Coles's report marked the first large-scale documentation of families' experiences when bereaved by a death in custody.
Baroness Jean Corston conducted a highly critical review of women in the criminal justice system, calling for radical change.
Activist, campaigner and much-loved caseworker dies suddenly.
Marissa Sandler and Deborah Coles’s report examined INQUEST’s casework on 115 women who died in prison from 1990-2007.
Linton Kwesi Johnson's BBC Radio 4 appeal on behalf of INQUEST.
Devoted father of five Jimmy Mubenga was a healthy 46-year-old who was born in Angola and had lived in the UK for 16 years.
Multi-skilled and award-winning Janey Antoniou, 53, from Reading, was a respected campaigner for mental health rights.
This report by INQUEST examined serious flaws in the learning process following an inquest.
Amy El-Keria was a fun-loving 14-year-old from London who loved nothing more than listening to her favourite band Aerosmith.
Kevin Scarlett, 30, was a generous and loyal family man from Milton Keynes.
Mighty Boosh-loving Connor Sparrowhawk was an 18-year-old from Oxford who was affectionately known as Laughing Boy because of his infectious smile.
Adrian McDonald was a 34-year-old engineer from Huddersfield and devoted father of two.
The Harris Review was set up as a direct result of INQUEST's policy and lobbying work for a public inquiry into the deaths of children and young people.
Multi-talented Emily Hartley, 21, was a promising musician, actor and poet from Yorkshire.
Colette McCulloch, 35, was a talented artist and writer living in Brighton.
Dame Elish Angiolini's Report of the Independent Review of Deaths and Serious Incidents in Police Custody, with contributions and support from INQUEST and families.
The review was conducted following the 2014-2016 inquests, where the jury found that 96 people were unlawful killed.
One of the worst preventable disasters in modern UK history resulted in the deaths of 72 people.
Annabella Landsberg, 45, was born in Harare but moved to Worthing where she became a hard-working care worker and much-loved member of her community.
The Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Bill, or 'Seni's Law', is passed, following the work of Seni Lewis's family with the support of INQUEST, Steve Reed MP and others.
Following phase one of the Grenfell Public Inquiry, INQUEST convened a Family Consultation Day to hear directly from those who have been bereaved.
Charlie Millers was a smiley 17-year-old from Manchester who always had plenty of time for Morris dancing, football and animals.
After decades of campaigning by INQUEST and bereaved families, the government announced the removal of means testing for Article 2 inquests.
