Nova Scotia Government- this one's 4 u
Nova Scotia's Ashley Smith
A tad inflammatory?
That
was my response when I first heard Brenda Hardiman invoking the spectre of the Ashley Smith debacle with
her daughter Nichele’s plight at the hands of the Department of Community
Services and the RCMP.
Ashley Smith’s dreadful
experience,of being sucked into the federal penal system and her ultimate
death, stands as one of the great failures of the “system” to appropriately
deal with mental health issues.
Now, after watching
Nichele’s story begin its painful, slow spiral into absurdity, I’m not so sure
Brenda isn’t understating this.
So why isn’t the newly
minted Liberal Minister of Community Services Joanne Bernard speaking about
this file?
I
listened with interest this morning to hear the Minister talk to Don Connolly
on CBC’s Information Morning. I was hoping the Minister
might be questioned about the protocols in place to manage those coping with
intellectual and cognitive disabilities who are being handcuffed and dragged
out of residential care facilities and into the criminal justice system.
No such luck.
It’s
not like the CBC newsroom was unaware of the story. Tom Murphy spoke with
Brenda Hardiman on Friday’s Info Morning about
the upcoming weekend demonstrations.
How about one question
to the Minister responsible?
The
focus of this interview with the Minister was the previous government using a
little budgetary slight of hand to push 40 million dollars worth of spending into another
calendar year. Yeah, it’s an interesting story, but it’s also two weeks old and
it’s already been explained.
The Nichele Benn story has
been festering for nearly a year. Last March, (then) DCS Minister Denise
Peterson-Rafuse promised she would be speaking with (then) Minister of Justice
Ross Landry about Nichele Benn because she said changes were needed, there was
a gap in the system…yada, yada, yada.
So after a weekend of
demonstrations, television news coverage and a front page story on the Herald
website…nothing from the Minister. No summarized briefing notes…no speaking
points…zip.
The only reference to
people with disabilities was a passing comment about Premier McNeil’s
commitment to the “ Transformation of Services for Persons with
Disabilities” and how they “are absolutely dedicated in moving forward with
that road map”.
Awesome. It’s good to see
that only 10 weeks into the job, Madam Minister has a handle on the BS
boardroom jargon of government.
The Department of Community
Services and the Department of Health and Wellness are responsible for
providing care for people with disabilities in this province. There are a
variety of institutional facilities and smaller care options to care for those
who are in need.
The people who work there
have a tough job. It really is God’s work. They require patience, compassion
and ability. You can be sure finding the right balance between security
and care is difficult.
If
you’re not aware of Nichele Benn’s full story, you might like to read this Herald story. In short,
Nichele is living with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and organic brain disorders.
She has violent outbursts.
Last
April on Maritime Morning I spoke with Brenda
Hardimann about the difficulty she was having with placement of her
daughter and the protocols used to deal with Nichele’s occasional outbursts.
We spoke on several other
occasions last year as Brenda’s frustration with inaction from DCS continued to
grow.
Nichele
is now being warehoused in a Lower Sackville facility. Sunday, Nichele had to show up at the local RCMP detachment for fingerprinting.Criminalized. Just
one more indignity, one more stupid chapter in this colossal failure of DCS to
fix the problem.
Nichele’s
story is not unique. Patients from the Forensic Unit in Burnside with histories
of violence are transferred to mixed care facilities inadequately staffed
to deal with the sort of potential outbursts one might reasonably expect. Staff
receiving these patients have to hire temporary security guards. Not really a permanent solution.
Is
the Benn case simply the frustration of staff who are not properly
supported? If facing violence from a special needs patient, is calling the
police the right strategy? Is that really the kind of care we want to offer people with special needs in this
province?
As
I mentioned in a earlier blog, the Brad Wall government in Saskatchewan is
currently implementing a strategy to make that province the best place
to live in Canada for people with disabilities. They are consulting with the
people who use, administer and interact with the system, citizens and patients
alike, to ask what changes are necessary. They are doing something other than
drawing up a “road map” in a vacuum.
They are also separating
social assistance and disability benefits as two distinctly different areas.
Perhaps this is the most important change to note. It is a philosophical shift
not just some bureaucratic tinkering.
We in Nova Scotia have a
long way to go to become the best place to live in Canada for people with
disabilities. We have work to do just to avoid being one of the worst.
The road map for people
with disabilities in Nova Scotia should not lead to jail.
A
piece of unsolicited advice for Madam Minister…look after the Nichele Benn
file, then book a ticket to Regina. You can ask for Mark Docherty.
------
Woman’s
legal challenges gain support
January
5, 2014 - 6:10pm IAN FAIRCLOUGH STAFF REPORTER
Nichele Benn is in tears outside the Lower Sackville RCMP detachment
with former caregiver Theresa Robertson after she was fingerprinted Sunday. She
is againing support for her conflicts with the law due to a brain disorder.
(TED PRITCHARD / Staff)
More than two dozen
people turned out Sunday morning to support Nichele Benn and her mother as they
went to an RCMP office so Benn could be fingerprinted and photographed after
being charged with assault.
Brenda Hardiman
says her 26-year-old daughter has an organic brain disorder that can sometimes
cause uncontrollable emotional outbursts. One of those outbursts last month at
the Lower Sackville rehabilitation centre where she lives saw Benn bite a staff
member and throw objects at another, leading to charges of assault and
aggravated assault.
The sign-toting
crowd was at the rehabilitation centre when Hardiman and Benn’s former care
worker picked her up. They drove in a convoy to the Lower Sackville RCMP office
for the fingerprinting.
The supporters,
along with people at similar rallies in four other communities in the province,
say there has to be an alternative to criminal charges for dealing with people
who have issues like Benn.
Hardiman said her
daughter has several arrests and convictions because of her condition, and she
would rather see therapeutic quiet rooms or other approved methods used to deal
with Benn than calls to the police.
“We’re trying to
bring this to the forefront. There are lots of other people in the same situation,”
she said. “I’m just grateful that so many people showed up here today and
supported us.”
Hardiman said Benn
“isn’t someone co-ordinating a liquor store theft. We’re talking about somebody
with special needs who should be treated like that and not treated like a
criminal.”
She said her
daughter didn’t grasp the gravity of what was happening and the demonstrations,
“but she sees that everybody is here today and people are supporting her.”
Leslie Lowther of
Sambro has a son who suffered a traumatic brain injury and is also prone to
outbursts. She said it was important to support Benn and Hardiman.
“This is like
reliving what I have gone through in the past,” she said. “My son was charged
and arrested for assault so I think it’s a very important demonstration. It’s
time that the government steps up to the plate and changes the way things are
handled for persons with disabilities.”
Lowther said her
son ended up being dealt with through mental health court but started out with
his case in provincial court.
“I don’t think this
needs to be happening at all,” she said. “To have them arrested and go through
the courts, I don’t see any benefit for any parties involved.”
RAYMOND TAAVEL- CAME OUT OF A BAR AT 2:30 IN THE AM AFTER
SERIOUS DRINKING WITH FRIENDS... AND MISTAKENLY STEPPED IN2 A FISTFIGHT THAT 2
HUGE MEN WERE ENGAGED IN...
Why didn’t Raymond’s friends stop his stupidity.... this is not about Mi’kmaq Denny... this is about a drunk and stupid man weighing about 90s pounds... stop it... it was a drunken brawl outside a bar- NO SANE PERSON WOULD HAVE INTERFERED.... Andre Noel Denny, Mi’kmaq has mental illness.... Raymond Taavel was drunk and acted irrationally....
LEG BRACES 4 MENTALLY ILL?.... first determine the rights of the Mental Ill.... be4 u jump.....
This incredibly decent and good man, Raymond Taavel, Raymond acted horribly wrong... imho... and will state this with
many others who agree... THIS IS NOT ABOUT GAY... THIS IS ABOUT DRUNKEN BRAWL
STUPID...
READER’S CORNER
Monitors could have saved Taavel
Monitors could have saved Taavel
I’m writing this in reaction to the Dec. 5 article, “N.S. eyes tracking psychiatric patients with GPS bracelets."
According to the article, the province is considering the use of p osition monitoring devices for patients at the East Coast Forensic Hospital. I commend Health and Wellness Minister Glavine for being open to taking this sensible approach to patient security at the hospital. Some readers may remember that I called for such a move back in September of 2012, shortly after the sad, unnecessary death of Raymond Taavel.
Andre Noel Denny has been charged with second-degree murder in Taavel’s death. Taavel died after trying to break up a street fight around 2 a.m. in downtown Halifax.
Denny had been on an unsupervised one-hour pass from the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth. He didn’t return when he was supposed to, and was lost to authorities until he was found in an alleyway near the location of, and shortly after, Taavel’s death .
I believe that, with perhaps this awful exception, the mental health professionals are probably doing a good job with making judgments on when their patients are granted the privilege of limited freedom.
However, although no method is 100 per cent foolproof, no doubt the public will feel safer if the bracelets are us ed.
If Denny really is responsible for Taavel’s death, it is a death that might have been avoided with the use of these bracelets. I believe that not only would the public feel more protected, but patients might also have more opportunities to go outside to see the sun and get some fresh air.
According to the article, provincial staff and lawyers will need to research the idea, but Health and Justice Department officials are to work on “the GPS monitoring matter."
I’d like to suggest another task for health and justice o fficials to dis cuss while they are working together.
Perhaps they can also do something about the level of mental health services that are available in Nova Scotia’s prisons outside of forensics.
Among Corrections Nova Scotia employees, it is a well-known fact that patients at the forensic hospital have the best of psychiatric care.
Meanwhile, a very large percentage of prison inmates in other facilities in Nova Scotia suffer with mental illnesses, pretty much without any help.
One of the promises of the NDP government’s Mental Health Strategy was better mental health services for incarcerated adults. In a recent conversation, a Health and Wellness Department official told me that this program is now getting underway. In fact, $30,000 has been budgeted toward it for this year.
Yes, you read that right — $30,000 was budgeted this year for improving mental health s ervices for adu lts in Nova Scotia’s prisons. More than that was spent last year on free coffee and newspaper subscriptions for our political leaders and senior staff.
Hopefully, our new government will do something about this inequity and incarcerated adults will be better served. After all, they, too, will someday be released back into the general population.
John Roswell, mental health advocate and founder, Digby Clare Mental Health Volunteers
-----------------------------
Nova Scotia hostage-taking spurred Ashley Smith transfer
to Grand Valley
The hostage-taking witnessed by Ashley Smith at a Nova
Scotia jail led to staff shortages, which in turn led to her final transfer.
View 2 photos
zoom
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Ashley Smith,
pictured in an undated photo, was transferred to Grand Valley Institution from
Nova, in part because the latter became short-staffed following a
hostage-taking.
By: Donovan
Vincent News reporter, Published on Mon Feb 25 2013
Explore This Story
Ashley Smith’s final transfer to the
Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener, where she died in October 2007, was in
large part the indirect result of a hostage-taking she had witnessed at a
prison in Nova Scotia that summer, an inquest heard Monday.
Alfred Legere, warden at the Nova
Institution for Women, which was responsible for Smith while she was imprisoned
there from Oct. 31 to Dec. 19, 2006 and again from July 26 to Aug. 31, 2007,
testified that Smith, a challenging inmate, was in her segregation cell during
the hostage-taking on Aug. 17, 2007.
Smith had been transferred to Nova, in
Truro, N.S., from an adult prison in New Brunswick. Once she arrived, she was
sent directly to a segregation cell and remained there for her entire stay.
Photos View photos
- zoom
Legere described the Aug. 17 hostage-taking
to the Toronto
inquest into Smith’s death.
Another female prisoner, referred to as
“inmate A” during the inquest but later identified as Renee Acoby, was housed
in Nova’s segregation area with Smith and a third woman.
Acoby had been involved in several
hostage-taking incidents previously. During one of them she took a nurse
hostage and tortured her. She was deemed an extremely high risk and dangerous,
so much so that she was later designated a dangerous offender, with an
indefinite jail sentence.
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In Monday’s testimony, the court heard
how “Inmate A,” while being escorted to a shower by three guards, grabbed one
of the guards, wrapped a belt around the guard’s neck and paraded her around.
She held a crude knife, fashioned out of metal from a cassette tape deck, to
the guard’s neck. The two other guards backed off when they saw the blade.
“Inmate A” was eventually disarmed, but
the incident traumatized corrections staff at Nova. Thirteen of 85 workers at
the jail, which was already understaffed, applied for workers’ compensation
after the hostage-taking.
The entire hostage-taking was witnessed
by Smith. Within minutes she was tying ligatures around her neck and choking
herself. On Aug. 23 she needed to be strapped into a special chair and
restrained after banging her head continually on her cell door and floor, which
caused bleeding. She was also on suicide watch.
On Aug. 31, 2007, Smith was sent back
to Grand Valley — she had previously been in that jail from May 10 to June 26,
2007 — because the hostage-taking had left Nova severely understaffed.
In addition, Legere testified that
Smith was requiring so much attention at Nova — at one point guards had to use
force 21 times over 17 days to deal with her disruptive behaviour and
self-harming — that the rest of the institution was suffering.
“We were providing so much attention to
Ashley that I didn’t know what was happening with 79 other inmates,” he said.
Smith died of strangulation in her
segregation cell at Grand Valley after tying a ligature around her neck while
guards stood outside her cell and watched.
Legere told the inquest that guards at
Nova were instructed to withdraw warmth or to ignore self-harming behaviour,
but once an inmate’s life was in peril, or there were signs of imminent harm,
they were to step in immediately.
He said he personally broke the news of
Smith’s death to the inmates at Nova. One inmate stood up, he recalled, and
said, “This wouldn’t have happened at Nova.”
The inmate got her fellow prisoners to
give Nova’s guards a standing ovation, Legere said.
The inquest continues.
ORIGINAL POST
----------------
DECEMBER 2013
The little teen Canadian girl that Canada and Canadians killed with ignorance and fear and indifference- Canadians must get serious about mental illness and help 4 our kids- they matter.... Ashley could have been a sculptor, artist, mathmatician, pianist, ballerina, teacher of the written word, counsellor of wounded souls, designer, hair dresser, teacher, bus driver, greenhouse worker, farmer, jeweller... so many things.... and we; as Canadians, imho failed her....
The crushing silence upon hearing of the death in a prison of a teen was soooo loud in it's silence.... Canadians knew.... somewhere, somehow... something was horribly wrong..... why are teens 2 often treated like throwaway trash..... dump them and let them come back when they are older... behaved....socially acceptable.... this is such a sad story..... Peace of Christ Ashley.... Peace of Christ....
So many of us have followed this nightmare... of a 14 year old Ashley Smith who her parents could NOT control and was acting out with teenage and mental health issues..... and once Ashley Smith got put in the 'government system' .... Ashley Smith...died in the 'government system'... very slowly... very painfully... and very cruelly.....
Who was Ashley Smith? January 29, 1988
Adopted as a baby, Ashley Smith was raised in a close and loving family by Coralee Smith and Herb Gorber in a two-storey farmhouse in east-end Moncton, New Brunswick.
March 1, 2003 — March 31, 2003
Ashley is admitted for diagnostic treatment
Ashley's family seeks help from local and provincial social service agencies after she begins acting out. A psychological assessment advises counselling for oppositional defiant disorder. She is discharged due to unruly behaviour. In his report after her death, the Correctional Investigator said this "could possibly have been the key missed opportunity to assist this young girl and her family long before she entered the criminal justice system."
December 1, 2003
Ashley enters New Brunswick Youth Centre after throwing crab apples at a postal worker
She believed the postal worker was withholding her neighbours' welfare cheques. She receives a closed custody sentence, but while at NBYC she incurred 50 additional criminal charges related to minor assaults on guards and prankish stunts such as pulling sprinklers and fire alarms or covering the window of her jail cell with scraps of toilet paper.
February 23, 2005
Ashley enters prison system
Ashley is remanded to custody on Feb. 23, 2005 at age 17, never to be released.
October 1, 2006 — October 31, 2006
Ashley transferred to Nova Institution for Women
The transfer to the federal facility is the result of new offences against custodial staff. During her 11 months in federal custody Smith makes several attempts at self-harm, namely self-strangulation with ligatures, head-banging and superficial cuts to her arms.
December 20, 2006 — April 12, 2007
Ashley is admitted to the Intensive Healing Program at the Prairie Regional Psychiatric Centre
June 27, 2007 — July 26, 2007
Ashley incarcerated at the Joliette Detention Centre
On July 22 and 23, 2007 she is placed in restraints and receives injections of antipsychotic and anxiolytic medication after incidents in which she injures herself with screws from the wall.
October 19, 2007
Ashley dies in a cell at Grand Valley Institution
An autopsy determines the cause of death to be asphyxiation. She was serving a six-year, one-month sentence for various offences committed as a young offender. Her sentence commenced on Oct. 17, 2003. She was close to finishing two-thirds of it and would have been eligible for release Nov. 27
October 24, 2007 — November 1, 2007
Corrections officers charged, others suspended without pay
Two male guards are charged with criminal negligence causing death in connection with Ashley's death. Police lay the same charge against a third guard on Oct. 26 and a Corrections supervisor on Nov. 1.
December 3, 2007 — January 25, 2008
Prison guards protest in support of suspended officers
About 40 members from the Ontario region of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers stage an information picket at the Kitchener facility. There is another protest on Jan. 18 and a vigil Jan. 25, 2008.
June 20, 2008
Correctional Investigator's report entitled 'A preventable death' is published
Full text of the report can be found here. Among Howard Saper's conclusions: "Ms. Smith’s death was preventable. Ms. Smith’s death was a culmination of several individual and system failures within the Correctional Service of Canada."
December 8, 2008
Charges dropped against four former prison employees blamed in Ashley's death
Prosecutor Andre Rajna told a Kitchener court the Crown didn't think it could make a case against former guards Karen Eves, Blaine Phibbs, Valentino Burnett and supervisor Travis McDonald, who were charged with criminal negligence causing death. The Crown said new medical opinions indicated the four workers couldn't have reached Ashley in time to save her.
July 2, 2009
Inquest is called into Ashley's death
Under the Coroner's Act, an inquest is mandatory when somebody dies in custody.
Ashley's family sues the government
The family sues the federal government for $11 million, alleging inhumane conduct led to Ashley's death. The lawsuit alleges federal corrections staff — from senior bureaucrats to prison guards — engaged in a "conspiracy" that endangered her life by "unlawfully" segregating her for nearly a year and not taking proper action after she was declared a suicide risk. The Statement of Claim can be found here. http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/ashleysmith/ashleysmithtimeline.html
October 10, 2009
Star investigation 'From generous girl to caged animal'
A Toronto Star investigation reveals how both provincial and federal corrections systems mistreated Ashley by failing to recognize her developing mental illness. Click here to read more.
January 8, 2010
Alleged video of Ashley's final days is aired
The CBC airs segments of video it says is of her final days behind bars in the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener. The video shows guards pinning her to a wall and she is heard complaining that they were squeezing her neck. She is also heard to say, "Please don't Taser me." The CBC said Corrections officials would not comment on the video, which was obtained by the Fifth Estate.
September 3, 2010
Publication ban imposed on discussion of scope of inquest
Three years after the Moncton teenager's death, Toronto Deputy Chief Coroner Dr. Bonita Porter puts a gag order on discussion of reasons why the inquest into Ashley's death should be expanded to look at the final 12 months in her sad life. Public discussion of the arguments is also forbidden under the ruling.
September 20, 2010 — November 12, 2010
Review of Ashley's records indicates cries for help ignored
Prison records are released to Kim Pate of the Canadian Association for Elizabeth Fry Societies through a request made on the teen's behalf before she died. "There are at least 90 instances where she was trying to seek the assistance or support of staff, " Pate said. "She was requesting access to programs, phone calls to her family, hospital visits."
November 12, 2010
Scope of inquest expanded
Dr. Bonita Porter expands the scope of the inquest into Ashley's death to include all circumstances that may have affected the 19-year-old's state of mind when she tied a piece of cloth around her neck in 2007 and pulled tight while correctional officers at Kitchener's Grand Valley Institution stood by. Click here to read more.
January 12, 2011
Inquest delayed
Ashley's family requests that the inquest be delayed while Ashley's mother Coralee Smith recovers from quadruple bypass surgery.
April 18, 2011 — April 25, 2011
Prison chief fights Smith family suit to release videos
Corrections Canada says the family is abusing the legal process by asking its commissioner to release videos showing the teen inmate being duct-taped and forcibly injected with drugs. Correctional service lawyers try to quash a summons that would force commissioner Don Head to appear in court with the videos.
May 4, 2011
Ashley's family settles lawsuit
While the family sought $11 million, the parties would not release details of the settlement, citing a confidentiality clause.
May 17, 2011
Inquest into Ashley's death begins
May 18, 2011
“Why are you going in if she’s still breathing?”
Startling testimony at the inquest is made by Janice Sandeson, a former correctional manager, who told jurors she was aghast at a prison protocol expert’s advice on how to deal with Ashley. Click here to read more.
May 19, 2011
Divisional Court judges force coroner to overturn her decision on the scope of the inquest
A panel of Divisional Court judges orders coroner Bonita Porter to reconsider the evidence she initially ruled was not relevant to the inquest and the scope of the inquest is expanded to events that happened outside of Ontario.
May 27, 2011
Inquest postponed indefinitely
The inquest is put off indefinitely after lawyers at the coroner's office circulated a secret memo on the delay. Dr. Bonita Porter was expected to rule on key legal issues argued in coroner's court so the inquest could proceed. Instead, the coroner cancelled the proceedings with little explanation. Click here to read more.
June 29, 2011
Coroner replaced
The embattled coroner at the inquest is replaced by a veteran doctor who is also a lawyer, John Carlisle. Click here to read more.
September 20, 2012 — October 24, 2012
Inquest starts again, videos to be shown in court
The inquest starts again on Sept. 20, 2012. The federal government’s last attempt to conceal controversial prison videos fails. Click here to read more.
October 23, 2012
Correctional Investigator says mental health issues still being treated as a security issue
Five years after 19-year-old Ashley Smith choked herself to death in a Kitchener prison cell, Sapers said many of the factors at play in her death continue to exist.Read more here.
October 31, 2012
Graphic video shows teen duct-taped while being transported
After a two-year battle, prison videos showing abuses endured by Ashley in federal custody went public in a Toronto coroner’s court. Read more here and watch video.
January 22, 2013
Inquest hears how guards watched as Ashley gasped for air
The guards had been expressly told not to intervene when Ashley pulled these stunts, because it had become a tiresome habit. Read more here.
ebruary 20, 2013
Coralee Smith says adult jail changed her daughter
When Coralee Smith visited Ashley at the youth centre, Ashley would reach across the table and hold her mother’s hand, and give her a big hug, her mother testified. Not so when Coralee went to the Saskatoon centre in February 2007 to visit her daughter. “She talked about how it was kind of scary in there. She didn’t give me a lot of detailed information. She was skirting around the edges,” Coralee said. Read more here.
March 20, 2013
Warden fired after teen died in prison working for Correctional Service again
The warden fired shortly after Ashley Smith’s 2007 death, Cindy Berry, is again working with the Correctional Service of Canada, but her position and date of hire are being kept secret by the agency. Read more here.
April 18, 2013
RCMP pilot defends duct-taping Ashley on plane
An RCMP pilot who duct-taped Ashley for two and a half hours while she was a passenger defends the move, arguing the teen was mentally ill, unpredictable, prone to violence and he needed to ensure the safety of his aircraft and passengers.
May 23, 2013
Ashley ‘clearly indicated’ she planned to kill herself, prison manager testifies
Janice Sandeson then a Grand Valley correctional manager, testifies that she spoke to Ashley Oct. 12, 2007 after the teen returned from court, where she was given additional jail time. The additional time guaranteed that Ashley wouldn’t be going home to New Brunswick to be with her family that Christmas, and she became deeply despondent over this, the inquest heard. She was placed on suicide watch under orders from a psychologist and warden at Grand Valley.Read more here.
June 26, 2013
Prison manager was told to falsify reports on procedures by guards, inquest told
In a bid to make it appear that Grand Valley was running smoothly, a senior manager at the prison was ordered by her bosses to falsify reports relating to the way guards handled Ashley Smith, a coroner’s inquest hears. The inquest recessed for the summer and will return Sept. 9, 2013. Read more here.
Warden describes how guards were disciplined for trying to stop ligature-tying
Barry McGinnis, who was acting warden at the Kitchener prison for women Sept. 20-23, 2007, recounts the episodes that started after Ashley was sent to the “pod’’ area of the prison on Sept. 19. Because of repeatedly running into her cell and struggling with her to seize the items and new ligatures she fashioned, two guards were sent disciplinary notices by Grand Valley’s top brass.
September 18, 2013
Ottawa trying to block Corrections head from testifying
Federal government lawyers try to quash a coroner’s summons directing Corrections Canada’s Commissioner Don Head to appear before the inquest. Read more here.
October 1, 2013
Warden denies ordering guards not to enter cell
Cindy Berry, the acting warden at Kitchener’s Grand Valley prison between August and November 2007, testifies that she never told guards to wait to respond if Ashley was still breathing, saying guards were to decide for themselves when Ashley was at “imminent risk of serious bodily harm or death” and respond accordingly. Read more here.
October 15, 2013
Ashley looked ‘hopeless and dejected,’ inquest hears
Ashley appeared desolate and in deep distress about a month before she choked herself to death in her segregation cell, a prisoner’s advocate testifies. Read more here.
December 2, 2013
Inquest jurors begin deliberations
Almost 11 months after they began hearing evidence, Dr. John Carlisle sends jurors away to come up with a verdict in the death of Ashley along with recommendations on preventing a repeat of the tragedy. Read more here.
December 19, 2013
Ashley Smith's death ruled a homicide
Jurors in the Ashley Smith inquest returned a verdict of homicide after deliberating for just over two weeks. Read more here.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/ashleysmith/ashleysmithtimeline.html
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You are finally free sweet angel.... run, dance, sing, write, create, love, soar...... the heavens are yours and may u find the peace and beauty and love that u so deserve.... Canadian Child
R.E.M.- Everybody Hurts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoG2i_h420A
R.E.M. ~ Everybody Hurts
Lyrics:
When your day is long and the night
The night is yours alone
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go
Everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes
Sometimes everything is wrong
Now it's time to sing along
When your day is night alone (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go (hold on)
When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on
Everybody hurts
Take comfort in your friends.
Everybody hurts
Don't throw your hand. Oh, no
Don't throw your hand
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone
If you're on your own in this life
The days and nights are long
When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on
Well, everybody hurts sometimes
Everybody cries
And everybody hurts sometimes
And everybody hurts sometimes
So, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on
(Hold on, hold on)
Everybody hurts
You are not alone
---------------------------
Ashley Smith failed by so many
The Leader-Post December 27, 2013
The death of Ashley Smith, a brave jury has ruled, was not suicide, but homicide. The verdict is a biting indictment of the federal correctional service, which failed miserably.
Yes, Ashley Smith was troubled, she acted out and was difficult to handle. Yes, she tied a piece of cloth around her neck, eventually choking to death. She was a mentally ill young woman who was crying out for help, but the correctional service let her die.
But the blame doesn't end there. It boggles the mind that this young woman ended up in the justice system and then was shunted from institution to institution, from province to province, all along being treated in the most inhumane manner. And her high crime? Throwing apples at a postal worker.
All the people she encountered in her short, sad life - from the police to the Crown to her jailers - all bear a heavy responsibility. They did not see her as a human being they had to treat with compassion, but a nuisance. That is why prison guards stood by watching, indeed shooting a video as she tied a piece of cloth to her neck and then died.
There are a lot of things that are hard to believe about the treatment of this young woman, but one that really stands out is that prison guards were under orders from their managers to not enter her cell as long as she was breathing; so they stood and watched as she struggled for life. They could easily have saved her, but they didn't. And there hasn't been any accountability.
The inquest jury made dozens of recommendations, and we hope a Conservative government that claims to be on the side of victims will act on them, not ignore them. The most significant is that women who have serious mental illness should never end up in jail. Indeed, no prisoners with serious mental illness belong in jails that are ill-equipped to cope with them. The federal government, in concert with the provinces, should act on this now.
The jury also says guards should not need authorization to enter a cell and save a life. That's a no-brainer. Also of significance is the call for the auditor general to undertake a "comprehensive audit" of how the recommendations are being implemented. That's the least Ashley Smith deserves.
In the past month or so, the country has been treated to the sound and fury of Justice Minister Peter MacKay as he railed against judges who wouldn't impose a victim's surcharge on criminals.
If ever there was a real victim, Ashley Smith is it. We'll see if the government's commitment to victims extends to her.
This editorial first appeared in the Ottawa Citizen.
http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Ashley+Smith+failed+many/9326122/story.html
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