PRESS RELEASE

Friday, 24 January 2020

Alliance of deaf charities condemns treatment of deaf inmates in prison

The coalition of deaf charities, the UK Council on Deafness (UKCoD) is seeking urgent action by prison service to improve their treatment of deaf inmates following a shocking new report.

In an article report on deaths in custody by the charity Inquest[1], The Guardian highlighted a story about deaf inmate Tyrone Givans, who took his own life after staff at Pentonville deprived him of access to his hearing aids.

Commenting on the report Craig Crowley, Chair of the UK Council on Deafness, said:

“It’s bad enough that the deaf community has to face daily barriers and isolation because of the low levels of deaf awareness across society and the lack of appropriate services which meet the tailored needs of deaf people. But for ignorant service providers to deprive us of our dignity through inhumane treatment is more than any community should ever have to endure.

“Cases like Tyrone’s underline the urgency of the work that the UK Council on Deafness and its members are doing. We will continue to challenge Government, public services, businesses and individuals members of society to understand and respect the lives of the deaf people in order to create a more inclusive society for our community”.

[End]
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jan/22/prison-death-tyrone-givans-deaf-hmp-pentonville

[2] Death in Prison: A national Scandal, https://www.inquest.org.uk/prison-report-2020

Download the PRESS RELEASE [PDF]