PFD report

Matthew David Hamilton · Prevention of Future Deaths report

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Issued 14 Feb 2019•County Durham and Darlington

Report record

Published report and response evidence

This page connects the concerns raised in this report with statements found in recipients’ published responses. A link shows a clear evidence connection; it does not assign responsibility.

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Concerns
1

Raised in this report

Recipients
1

Named on the report

Responses found
1

Of 1 recipient

Stated actions
3

Described in responses

Recipients and published responses

Source document

Full report text

This is the full text from the original published report.

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Concerns and recipient responses

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Concerns raised1

  1. Failure to ensure that people released from custody are aware of reduced drug tolerance and the fatal risk of pre-custody consumption levels
Responses linked to these concerns

Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.

Actions described in response An action is something a recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to a concern raised.3

  1. Action

    Update the drug and alcohol guidance pack with post-release harm-reduction information.

    Stated by Durham PrisonStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 24 May 2019.
  2. Action

    Deploy a trained prisoner DART Mentor to provide release-stage harm-reduction advice, including community support and drug-specific information.

    Stated by Durham PrisonStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 24 May 2019.
  3. Action

    Offer the updated guidance pack to all prisoners discharged from HMP Durham and people potentially released from court.

    Stated by Durham PrisonStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 24 May 2019.

Source evidence

How this individual concern was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. Response links show a clear evidence connection; they do not assign responsibility.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Failure to ensure that people released from custody are aware of reduced drug tolerance and the fatal risk of pre-custody consumption levels

Wider context from the report

“On being released from custody, some users of heroin (and/or other drugs) are unaware of: (i) the fact or extent to which abstinence during imprisonment is likely to have reduced their tolerance to heroin (and/or other substances); and/or (ii) that consumption of those substances, at levels which may have been normal for them prior to their period in custody, may prove immediately fatal afterwards. ”

Is this part of a recurring concern?

No recurring-concern membership is currently published.

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Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Update the drug and alcohol guidance pack with post-release harm-reduction information.

Verbatim wording from the response

“• The Drug and Alcohol Reduction Team (DART) have updated their guidance pack, which in future will be offered to all prisoners on their discharge from HMP Durham and not just to those who had elected to engage with DART while in custody. The guidance pack is also offered to those with the potential of release from court. I will be happy to supply a copy of the guidance pack should you wish to receive it.”

Source location

2019-0050-Response-by-HM-Prison-Probation-Service
Page 1 · response
Published 24 May 2019

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Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Deploy a trained prisoner DART Mentor to provide release-stage harm-reduction advice, including community support and drug-specific information.

Verbatim wording from the response

“• The DART team have a trained prisoner (DART Mentor) to offer additional harm reduction advice to prisoners at the point of release. This includes information on community based support services, as well drug specific, harm reduction information.”

Source location

2019-0050-Response-by-HM-Prison-Probation-Service
Page 1 · response
Published 24 May 2019

Open published response

Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation

Offer the updated guidance pack to all prisoners discharged from HMP Durham and people potentially released from court.

Verbatim wording from the response

“• The Drug and Alcohol Reduction Team (DART) have updated their guidance pack, which in future will be offered to all prisoners on their discharge from HMP Durham and not just to those who had elected to engage with DART while in custody. The guidance pack is also offered to those with the potential of release from court. I will be happy to supply a copy of the guidance pack should you wish to receive it.”

Source location

2019-0050-Response-by-HM-Prison-Probation-Service
Page 1 · response
Published 24 May 2019

Open published response
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Information checked against the published report and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026