A mother has described her daughter's treatment in prison as being akin to a "feral dog in a cage" after a coroner's court found that neglect played a part in her death.
A System's Failure
Alex Davies, a 25-year-old from Litherland with severe borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, was found dead in her segregation cell at HMP Styal in Cheshire on Christmas Eve last year.
After an 11-day inquest at Cheshire Coroner's Court in Warrington, a jury delivered a conclusion of death contributed to by neglect. This significant finding is used when there has been a serious failure to provide basic medical care to a person in need.
Alex had been on remand for approximately two months after pleading guilty to assault by beating and criminal damage. Evidence presented to the jury revealed that psychiatrists had advised she should have been transferred to a mental health facility instead of being held in prison.
Isolation and Missed Opportunities
In the weeks leading to her death, Alex spent 27 days in the Care and Separation Unit (CSU) from 9 November to 6 December, isolated from other inmates. National guidelines clearly state that prisoners identified as a suicide risk, as Alex was, should only be held in such units under exceptional circumstances.
The situation escalated on the morning of her death. The inquest heard that a prison officer told Alex to "stop perving" when she tried to speak to another prisoner. This comment profoundly upset Alex, who was then restrained and taken to the CSU.
Footage shown in court captured Alex screaming, "I don't want to go to this hell cell" and pleading with staff not to place her there over the Christmas period.
Once in the cell, a critical failure occurred. A male nurse incorrectly filled out a medical algorithm which, if completed properly, would have raised a red flag about the danger of holding Alex in segregation.
A Tragic End and a Family's Anguish
Despite Alex making several attempts to self-harm that day, she was not placed on constant watch. Officers entered her cell on five separate occasions to remove ligature materials. Following these incidents, she was left in her cell wearing only a pair of boxer shorts under the observation of a male prison officer.
The jury concluded that there was a gross failure to place Alex on constant observations while she was in the CSU. They found that this failing, along with the decision to take her to the segregation unit on Christmas Eve, probably caused her death.
Alex's mother, Stacie, 44, said: "Alex was my little girl and my best friend. All she wanted was help but her situation in prison made her feel like she had no other option but to take her own life."
She added, "I would like to see Styal Prison condemned as I wouldn't wish what happened to my daughter on my worst enemy. She was treated no better than a feral dog in a cage."
Alex's father, Allan, 45, described the inquest conclusion as "bittersweet justice," stating that "dying through neglect in a prison in the 21st century is truly appalling."
A Prison Service spokesperson acknowledged that the care Alex received "fell far short of basic decency and respect" and offered deepest sympathies to her family.
This case highlights systemic issues at HMP Styal. A damning report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons found there were more than 5,200 incidents of self-harm reported at the prison in the 12 months prior to March 2025. The report also revealed that three-quarters of inmates said they had mental health problems.
