The inquest into the death of Charlotte Nokes concluded with the jury finding her death was by ‘natural causes’. Charlotte was 38 when she was found dead in her cell in HMP Peterborough on the morning of 23 July 2016. #JusticeforIPPs 1/3
https://twitter.com/WritersofColour/status/1487389909258321921
She was serving an indefinite Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence and was over seven years over the minimum tariff when she died. #JusticeForIPPs inquest.org.uk/charlotte-noke…
If Charlotte Nokes had been released 7 years earlier, when her actual sentence was supposed to end would she be dead? Please sign the petition and demand #JusticeForIPPs petition.parliament.uk/petitions/5995…
It is understood that Charlotte is one of four women to have died whilst serving an IPP sentence. There has been significant public concern over the use of IPP sentences which have been described as the most controversial sentences in the history of British prison sentences.
They were found to be unlawful by the House of Lords and were abolished in 2012. However those who were sentenced before 2012 have languished in prison for many years after the end of the tariff with no release date. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/5995… #JusticeForIpps @LloydSewing @ActionIpp 
Known to her family as Charlie or Lottie, they described her as funny, intelligent, charismatic and creative. She was an extremely talented artist whose work was exhibited by the Koestler Trust. #JusticeForIPPs
She developed her passion for art whilst in prison and had been offered a scholarship to study at Central St Martins on release.
Charlotte was given an IPP sentence on 4 January 2008. She was to serve a minimum term of 15 months imprisonment. However, at the time of her death, she had served 8½ years in custody.
The jury heard that the indefinite nature of Charlotte’s sentence, and her fear that she would never be released from prison, contributed to a sense of extreme hopelessness. She described her sentence to her family as a death sentence.
The inquest heard that despite being seven years over tariff, Charlotte was only at the very early stages of being ready to engage with the therapeutic help she needed to begin the path to release.
The inquest heard that Charlotte had been diagnosed with a Personality Disorder and was prescribed a number of antipsychotic drugs to treat her symptoms. In the months leading up to her death, she often appeared over-sedated, drowsy and was slurring her speech.
The jury heard that some of her depot medication was administered for unusually long periods.
At the time of her death, Charlotte was placed on suicide and self-harm monitoring procedures, known as Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) after she had attempted to take her life. Charlotte was on twice hourly observations as part of the ACCT process.
Despite this, the inquest jury heard that she died a number of hours before she was found at 08:35, despite documented welfare checks throughout the night and concerns about her welfare #JusticeForIPPs inquest.org.uk/charlotte-noke…
.@INQUEST_ORG is calling for urgent action to save lives by ending the inappropriate use of imprisonment for women, closing women's prisons & redirecting resources from criminal justice into community-based services.
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