Vulnerable woman's death in prison must be a catalyst for change, campaigners say

Monika Nawrat died in the Mater hospital on October 14th, 2019, after attempting to take her life in Dóchas women’s prison nine days previously

The death of a young mother with mental health difficulties who took her own life in prison where she had been sent because she could not afford €100 for bail must be a catalyst for change, campaigners have said. 

Monika Nawrat, who had never previously been in prison, was found with a ligature around her neck on October 4, 2019, just over 24 hours after she had been admitted to the Dochas Centre.

Ms Nawrat had been unable to raise €100 to pay a bail fee after she was charged with a public order offence in the district court. 

She was remanded to prison, despite having a long history of self-harm and had to be brought to a hospital emergency department for self-harming after the court ordered her detention but before she was brought to the prison.

She was found unconscious in her cell and died 10 days later in hospital. An investigation by the Inspector of Prisons has listed a number of criticisms about the handling of Ms Nawrat’s case by the Irish Prison Service. It also found that the offences which Ms Nawrat was charged with were a symptom of her “mental illness requiring treatment and support and not criminal justice intervention”.

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This was, the report detailed, shared by others. 

“Her family law solicitor, who also practices in criminal natters, concurred with this opinion as did members of An Garda Siochána and staff at the Irish Prison Service.”

A public interest investigation by GSOC into the handling of the case found there was no breach of discipline by any gardaí. Ms Nawrat’s solicitor, Drogheda-based Dorothy Walsh, says that she found the contents of the report very upsetting.

“My initial reaction is that the report was thoroughly done but the findings are heartbreaking,” Ms Walsh says. 

I was with her the whole way through, I was allocated as the person to deal with her end of life decisions.” 

The inspector’s report relates how Ms Walsh arranged for recorded prayers in Polish to be played in the time before Ms Nawrat's death.

Ms Walsh said one of the more distressing passages in the report was the transcript of a phonecall Ms Nawrat made to a family resource centre in Co Meath on the day after she was committed in which she was attempting to raise the bail money. The call was summarily terminated after six minutes without a resolution because of prison rules.

Keith Adams of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, which closely monitors conditions in which prisoners, says this case should be a catalyst for change.

“Women like this need mental health services, not imprisonment. 

This young woman was imprisoned because she could not afford to pay a small sum of money for bail.

“She ultimately ended up paying with her life.”

A spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service said the recommendations in the inspector’s report have been accepted by IPS.

“Information on the action to be completed are set out in there action plan which is published with the report. Work is continuing on the implementation of the recommendations including the enhanced communication between healthcare and discipline staff.”

Meanwhile, the prison service has linked growing overcrowding in some jails - particularly those detaining women - with a 13% increase in committals in the first nine months of this year.

The IPS said the total number of female prisoners in custody on November 9 was 200 compared with a bed capacity of 174.

A spokesperson said: "Numbers are particularly high when the courts are at their busiest and following the return to a more normal level of court activity, committal numbers have increased across the prison system. There were 5,219 committals to prison for the period January to September 2022 which is a 13% increase on the same period in 2021."

Keith Adams said: "The rise in the female prison population has been rapid, unrelenting, and without respite. Women’s prisons in Ireland are now severely overcrowded. More than 200 women are detained in institutions with an ‘official’ capacity of 174 beds. 

"The ongoing increase in the number of women in our female prisons is indicative of the Government’s continuing failure to respond appropriately to women who find themselves in conflict with the justice system."