Editing HM Prison Bronzefield (section)

==The prison today==
[[File:Entrance to Bronzefield Prison.jpg|thumb|Entrance to HMP Bronzefield]]
HM Prison Bronzefield is currently one of three prisons to house [[Prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom|Category A]] prisoners in the female estate (female and juvenile category-A prisoners are called "restricted status" prisoners). The other two being HM Prison Low Newton and HM Prison New Hall. The prison is staffed by about 140 prison custody officers, in a ratio of 50% female and 50% male officers. Bronzefield is also a local prison, taking prisoners directly from the courts. Bronzefield holds a wide range of female offenders, including remand, sentenced and restricted status women.[https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/05/Restricted-status-thematic-web-2023.pdf]

Accommodation at Bronzefield is divided into four main residential units, each holding approximately 135 women. The prison also has a 12-bed Mother and Baby Unit, accommodating children up to 18 months old. Bronzefield has a Level 4 Healthcare provision with in-patient facilities for 18 women, as well as a smaller 10-bed Help & Direction Unit.{{CN|date=March 2022}}

Bronzefield offers full-time education courses including [[Art]], [[English for Speakers of Other Languages|ESOL]] and [[Information Technology]]. There are also workshops in [[cleaner|Cleaning]] Science and [[Arts and Crafts movement|Arts and Crafts]].

At least four times in the two years to 2019 women gave birth in upsetting and potentially dangerous conditions: one woman gave birth in her cell and another was left in labour during the night only with support from another pregnant prisoner.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/22/hmp-bronzefield-baby-death-prison-births | title=Revealed: concerns over string of incidents at UK prison where baby died | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=22 November 2019 | first1=Hannah | last1=Devlin | first2=Diane | last2=Taylor }}</ref>

The prison is run by [[Sodexo]]; its annual report and accounts for 2017/18 show the cost per prisoner at Bronzefield is £66,294, at least £10,000 higher than any other women’s prison.<ref name="Guardian13/12/2018"/>

===Deaths in custody===
Natasha Chin died in 2016 less than two days after she arrived at the prison after she had vomited continuously for nine hours and was not given medical attention or her prescribed medication. Prison officers asked healthcare staff to attend to Chin but healthcare staff did not respond.  Expert medical witnesses told a coroner's inquest that if Chin’s condition had been monitored and dealt with satisfactorily, her vomiting would have reduced. It is likely she would have survived if she had been moved to a hospital, experts said. Chin rang her cell bell but prison staff failed to respond because they did not know bells were faulty. The inquest jury found her death was due to "a systemic failure, which led to a lack of basic care", and her death was "contributed to by neglect". Since Chin’s death, three further deaths of women found unresponsive in cells at Bronzefield have occurred. Earlier deaths and several inspection reports from at least 2010 stated long-established concerns about problems with healthcare services.<ref name="Guardian13/12/2018"/><ref name="Independent12/2018"/>

Deborah Coles of [[INQUEST]] maintained the Minister of Justice and Sodexo should be held accountable for not acting on repeated warnings about health care not being safe. Coles said, "Natasha’s death was a result of this indifference and neglect. It is shameful that women continue to die such needless deaths in prison. They failed to provide Natasha with even a basic duty of care. Urgent action is needed to dismantle failing women’s prisons and invest this money, not in private companies but in specialist women’s services to support women in the community."<ref name="Guardian13/12/2018">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/dec/13/womans-death-in-surrey-prison-due-to-neglect-inquest-rules | title=Woman's death in Surrey prison due to neglect, inquest rules | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=13 December 2018 | author=Eric Allison }}</ref><ref name="Independent12/2018">{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/natasha-chin-death-prison-hmp-bronzefield-surrey-sodexo-inquest-neglect-a8683266.html | title=Death of woman in private UK prison caused by neglect and systemic failures, inquest rules | work=[[The Independent]] | date=14 December 2018 | author=Maya Oppenheim }}</ref>

In October 2019, a new-born baby died after the unnamed 18-year-old mother gave birth alone in her cell without medical supervision or help. "The case raises serious questions about how the woman came to be unsupervised and without medical support during her labour and birth, and about the conditions at the privately run prison".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/oct/04/baby-dies-in-uk-prison-after-inmate-gives-birth-alone-in-cell | title=Baby dies in UK prison after inmate 'gives birth alone in cell' | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=4 October 2019 | first1=Hannah | last1=Devlin | first2=Diane | last2=Taylor }}</ref> Ten or eleven different enquiries have been launched into the baby's death. There are questions over how the woman had no medical help during birth, and the case drew attention to what is done generally for pregnant women in prison. There has been previous unease over care of pregnant prisoners at Bronzefield and the prison faced criticism for transferring prisoners to hospital only when advanced in labour. Deborah Coles of INQUEST said, "There must be the most robust scrutiny of how this tragic death was able to happen and involve the relevant independent expertise on maternity care. It is vital that the family are able to fully participate and that the findings are made public."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/08/multiple-inquiries-ordered-into-death-of-baby-in-uk-prison | title=Multiple inquiries ordered into death of baby in UK prison | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=8 October 2019 | first1=Hannah | last1=Devlin | first2=Diane | last2=Taylor }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-49977464 | title=HMP Bronzefield baby death 'subject of 10 investigations' | work=[[BBC]] | date=8 October 2019 }}</ref> The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman reported many failings in the way the teenager was treated. Nobody came though the prisoner pressed her bell twice and asked for a nurse. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Sue McAllister said: "Ms A gave birth alone in her cell overnight without medical assistance. Overall the healthcare offered to her was not equivalent to that she could have expected in the community." Prison staff on the mother's block did not know that the birth was imminent and health agencies did not share information adequately with the prison.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-58646499 | title=HMP Bronzefield baby death: Mother was 'failed' says inspectors | work=[[BBC]] | date=22 September 2021 | first1=Lizzie | last1=Massey | first2=June | last2=Kelly }}</ref> The mother was vulnerable, it was her first time in prison, she was on remand facing a robbery charge. It was alleged she had “a troubled and traumatic childhood” and was “sad, angry and scared” after she was told the baby would be taken away at birth.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/22/damning-report-published-into-death-of-baby-born-to-teenager-in-prison-cell | title=Damning report published into death of baby born to teenager in prison cell | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=22 September 2021 | author=Diane Taylor}}</ref>