Woman died with drugs brought into prison illegally in her system, report finds

The 29-year-old died in a Cambridgeshire prison in October 2024

A woman found with drugs in her system when she died is thought to have obtained the drugs after they were brought into a prison illegally. Jamie Perfect, 29, died on October 14, 2024, while an inmate at HMP Peterborough.

Perfect was remanded to the prison on October 4 after being charged with assaulting an emergency worker. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has released a report into her death, after she was found unresponsive in her cell on October 14.

The report said Perfect had a “history of substance misuse” and she tested positive for several drugs when she arrived at the prison. These were opiates, cocaine, cannabis, and benzodiazepines – which are prescription medicine used to treat anxiety.

She was placed on a drug stabilisation unit for assessment and monitoring, and was also prescribed medication to help with drug withdrawal. On October 10, a prison guard carried out a routine check of her cell.

She was found with an “improvised vape which contained an unknown substance”. Perfect was placed on a disciplinary charge.

A hearing was held the next day where she denied the charge, and a hearing was adjourned for her to obtain legal advice. At around 7.20am on October 14, Perfect was found unresponsive on her bed.

The report added: “The officer radioed a medical emergency code and staff started CPR. When ambulance paramedics arrived at 7.42am, they assessed that Ms Perfect was dead and pronounced life extinct.”

A post-mortem confirmed the 29-year-old died from aspiration pneumonia caused by polypharmacy, which is the use of multiple drugs. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman said that an opioid named tapentadol was found in her system.

This was not prescribed while she was in prison, so it “must have been brought into the prison illegally”, the report said. The report added that they do not know how Perfect obtained the drug.

The report said: “The last HMIP report found that Peterborough had taken important steps to limit drug supply but like all women’s prisons, had no body scanner to detect secreted items, which was a risk.

“It also found that the prison’s drugs strategy covered both the men’s and women’s prison so issues more specific to female prisoners, such as trading medications, were not addressed. In December 2024, Peterborough issued an updated drugs strategy for the women’s prison.

“While it says that diversion of medication is the most significant drug-related issue among female prisoners, it does not say how that will be tackled.”

In its findings, the Ombudsman found that the clinical care provided to Perfect was of a “good standard and was equivalent to that which which she could have expected to receive in the community”.

It was also satisfied that Perfect had not been prescribed tapentadol by the prison. However, it commented on the prison’s drug strategy from 2024, in relation to the “diversion of medication in the most significant drug-related issue among female prisoners”.

The Ombudsman said the strategy didn’t say how the issue would be tackled. It added: “We would expect this to be addressed within the drugs strategy, especially given its significance within the women’s prison.”

An HMP Peterborough spokesperson said: “We offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ms Perfect and we recognise how difficult this process will have been for them. Whilst there are no recommendations for the prison in the Ombudsman’s report, we will continue to do all we can to support those in our care.”