Methods of restraint are under the spotlight again today as the second inquest begins into the 2004 death of a teenager at a secure training centre.
Adam Rickwood, 14, became the youngest person to die in UK custody when he hanged himself in his room at Hassockfield STC in Consett, County Durham in August 2004.
The original inquest found he deliberately took his own life, but the verdict was overturned by the High Court in January 2009 and his family granted a fresh inquest.
It will look at whether controversial techniques used to restrain the teenager on the day of his death contributed to his actions. The first inquest was quashed after the Coroner refused to rule on the legality - and physical and psychological impact on Rickwood - of the restraint methods used.
Following the deaths of Rickwood and Gareth Myatt, and a five year freedom of information crusade from organisations such as INQUEST, the Youth Justice Board was forced to publish a previously secret prison manual detailing government-approved techniques used to physically restrain children and young people in prison.
The inquest comes as Michael Cartwright, 18, became the latest young person to die in UK custody. The teenager was found hanging in his cell at Stoke Heath YOI on December 20th.
According to local reports, his parents have questioned why the prison had not placed him on suicide watch, despite previous suicide attempts and a history of depression.
Picture credit: Rex Features
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