Comment: Racism and Custody Deaths in the U.K.: The Zahid Mubarek Inquiry

This article reveals how racism in prison can take lethal forms. Zaheed Mubarek was a young man convicted of a minor offense & had to share a cell with a known, violent racist who brutally murdered him. This happened in the care of Feltham Young Offenders' Institution near London, England. Direct responsibility for the murder was obvious, but subsequent inquiries focused on the significance of institutionalized policies & practices within the jail. Following the Mubarek Report's publication, the family stated that the Prison Service was guilty of "institutional murder" reflecting institutional complacency & neglect. Prisons continue to warehouse the most vulnerable members of the working class; they contain them, neglect them, & lock them away for up to 23 hours each day in overcrowded wings. The Mubarek inquiry gives some insight into these conditions & their often fatal consequences. References. E. Sanchez