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Sarah Reed was a woman, a mother and a daughter
A young black woman died in Holloway Prison earlier this year – a prison she should never have been in. But where is the public outcry, asks ZITA HOLBOURNE

SARAH REED was a mother and a daughter. She died because she was a woman and because she was black at the young age of 32, in Holloway Prison in January this year.

Prison authorities claim she strangled herself to death in her bed in her cell. Sarah was let down repeatedly by numerous public authorities, which ultimately led to her death in a prison she should never have been in.

In 2003 Sarah’s baby died following an illness, and she and her partner had to transport their deceased baby from the hospice to the undertakers in a taxi. The loss and the events after affected Sarah’s mental health, causing her to suffer from depression over the coming years.

  • Zita Holbourne is on the PCS national executive committee and TUC race relations committee, she is national co-chair of Barac UK and is a poet, artist, writer and curator. 8 She will be chairing a fringe meeting at TUC women’s conference on Thursday at lunchtime entitled Sarah Reed Justice Campaign: The Human Cost of Cuts to the Public Sector and Impact on Mental Health Care. Speakers include Marilyn Reed, a spokesperson from Blaksox and POA general secretary Steve Gillan. To receive campaign updates join the Facebook page, Sarah Reed Campaign for Justice and follow @justice4slreed on Twitter.
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