Teen Dies Following Lack of Adequate Mental Health Services
OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Mar 03 (MARKET WIRE) --
A report released by Mr. Howard Sapers, Correctional Investigator of
Canada, into the death of Ashley Smith finds the teenager died following
the inability of federal and provincial health care and correctional
systems to provide her with the care, treatment and support she
desperately needed. Addressing Ms. Smith's specific time in the care and
custody of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), the corrections
Ombudsman said a culmination of failures contributed to the 19 year old's
death at the Grand Valley Institution for Women, Kitchener Ontario, on
October 19, 2007.
Finding Ashley Smith's death "preventable," the report states the tragic
incident continues a disturbing pattern of deaths in custody which are
the result of ill-functioning and under-resourced correctional and mental
health systems. It recommends federal, provincial and territorial
governments engage the Mental Health Commission of Canada to develop a
National Strategy to ensure better coordination among correctional and
mental health systems nation-wide, and ultimately, enhance public safety.
"Governments must take immediate actions to improve the assessment, care
and treatment of persons with mental illness, inside and outside the
justice system," said Mr. Sapers. "Failure to act will continue the
unacceptable outcome of individuals with mental illness being
incarcerated. Once in the correctional system, it is too often the case
that their conditions deteriorate even further. The troubling death of
young Ashley Smith not only speaks to system-wide breakdowns within
federal corrections, but also to a lack of coordination and cohesiveness
among federal/provincial/territorial mental health and correctional
systems."
Examining Ms. Smith's short 11 1/2 months in federal custody, the Office
of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) found many of the actions and
decisions taken by the CSC - at the individual, institutional, regional
and national levels - were non-compliant with the law and the Service's
own policies. The violations included inappropriate use of institutional
transfers, administrative segregation, and interventions involving force.
The care and treatment Ms. Smith did receive was inadequate and
disjointed and culminated in a failure to respond appropriately to her
medical emergencies.
Other key recommendations in this latest report on deaths in custody by
the OCI include the Correctional Service:
- Issue an immediate directive that all decisions affecting offenders
take into account their health care, including mental health, needs;
- Ensure all Correctional Service National Boards of Investigation into
incidents of suicide and self-injury be chaired by an independent mental
health professional; and
- Amend its segregation policy to require a psychological review of an
inmate's mental health status, with an emphasis on the evaluation of the
risk for self harm, be completed within 24 hours of an inmate's placement
in segregation.
In 2008, the OCI released A Failure to Respond, a report on the death of
another federal inmate. In 2007, the OCI released its Deaths in Custody
Study which examined 82 deaths of prisoners while in custody of the
Correctional Service from 2001 - 2005. This report concluded that, as in
the case of Ashley Smith, some of these deaths could likely have been
averted through improved risk assessments, more vigorous preventive
measures, and more competent and timely responses by institutional staff.
The Correctional Investigator is mandated by an Act of Parliament to be
an independent Ombudsman for federal offenders. This work includes
ensuring that systemic areas of concern are identified and addressed. The
report on the death of Ms. Smith, as well as other deaths in custody
reports, is available at
www.oci-bec.gc.ca.
Contacts:
Office of the Correctional Investigator
Ivan Zinger, LL.B., Ph.D.
Executive Director and General Counsel
613-990-2690
Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.
Mother Settles Suit Over Teen's In-Custody Stun Gun Death
By David Goguen on May 5, 2009 12:45 PM | No TrackBacks
The mother of an Illinois teenager who died after police officers shocked him with a Taser gun while he was in custody has reached a wrongful death settlement with the city where the incident took place.
Rita Cummings's son Roger Holyfield was 17 when he had a confrontation with police in Jerseyville, Illinois. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Holyfield "was carrying a Bible and a cordless phone" and "shouting for Jesus when police tried to subdue him" by shocking him twice with a Taser gun after placing him in handcuffs. Holyfield, who was mentally ill, died the next day at a hospital in St. Louis.
The dollar amount of the settlement of Cummings's wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Jerseyville was not disclosed.
Results of an investigation into the police officers' action and their role in causing Holyfield's death "exonerate the policemen who handled Holyfield, and [show] that the two officers followed established policy and procedures regarding the use of force and the stun gun," according to the Chicago Tribune.
What is Wrongful Death? When someone dies as a result of negligence (or even after a crime), surviving family members can file a civil lawsuit for wrongful death, as personal representatives of the person who died. A wrongful death action typically seeks damages for things like the loss of the decedent's support, lost prospects for inheritance, and medical and funeral expenses.
Other types of damages for an accident or injury victim's death -- such as pain and suffering --are typically included in a separate negligence claim that is usually filed alongside a wrongful death cause of action.
Boy Dies From Suspected Drug Overdose After Arrest
Boy Dies From Suspected Drug Overdose After Arrest
Cincinnati Police are investigating the death of a 14-year-old boy while in police custody.
It started around midnight on Neave Street in Price Hill, where the boy was reportedly arrested on a drug charge.
While in custody, it's believed he may have swallowed crack-cocaine.
Police took the boy to juvenile jail in Mt. Auburn, but later crews had to rush the boy to Children's Hospital when he became ill.
Police said the boy died at Children's Hospital a short time later.
Police were investigating for several hours early Monday morning at Children's Hospital.
The child's name has not been released.
Georgia Teen Dies While In Custody
Family Questions Whether She Received Proper Treatment
POSTED: Tuesday, July 14, 2009
UPDATED: 8:00 pm EDT July 14, 2009
GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. -- The family of a south Georgia teen who died in police custody in May said they want to press charges against the sheriff's office.
They're questioning whether she got proper medical care.
Kara Thompson, 17, died in May after she was arrested in Glynn County on charges of breaking into a car.
Investigators have announced that the cause of death was pneumonia, but her family said they still have questions.
"I am questioning why she didn't get the medical attention that she needed," said Teri Moore, Thompson's aunt. "Obviously she needed it."
Investigators with the Glynn County Sheriff's Office said she died after being transported from the county jail.
Thompson was serving time for breaking into her grandmother's car.
"My opinion as we stand here today is that Miss Thompson did receive the proper treatment," Sheriff Wayne V. Bennett said.
Bennett gave a timeline, saying on May 15 at 5 p.m., Thompson was seen acting normal. Three hours later she closed the door to her cell, and at 8:45 p.m., Bennett said she complained she was not feeling well and saw a nurse.
Bennett said she was seen again after 9 p.m. and was promised a doctor's appointment the next day. At 2:15 a.m., Thompson's roommate asked to be moved.
Thirty minutes later, Bennett said, EMTs were called to Thompson's cell. They gave her CPR and then took her to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Bennett said an internal investigation proves the jail did nothing wrong.
Moore said she believes if Thompson had gotten the proper treatment, she would still be alive.
"She was just a very kind person that made a bad decision," Moore said.
Bennett said the investigation is far from being over. He said the coroner can perform a coroner's inquest. That's also something the family could ask to be done.
Copyright 2009 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Byline: SCOTT GUTIERREZP-I reporter
Seattle police are investigating why a 17-year-old boy died last weekend after he collapsed during a routine booking into the King County Juvenile Detention Center.
The teen, identified as James H. Whiteshield, died Sunday at Harborview Medical Center, two days after Seattle police arrested him on a warrant stemming from drug charges. The warrant turned out to be inactive, raising questions Monday about the teen's arrest.
The teen was booked about 1 a.m. Friday. An officer had spotted him drinking out of a beer can at Second Avenue and Bell Street and then discovered the warrant, according to a police ...
Her teenage son was in police custody, handcuffed and lying face-down on a busy road when he was run over and killed.
Now Helen Bornen wants answers.
Andrew Bornen, 16, died when struck by a car at around 11pm (AEST) on Saturday in the Ipswich suburb of Brassall, west of Brisbane.
Police were responding to reports of a man waving a machete, but the unarmed teenager voluntarily lay on the ground when threatened with a Taser.
Police say their attempts to flag down the approaching car, driven by a young woman, were futile.
Helen Bornen told AAP the death of her "lovely boy" hasn't sunk in yet, but as she nurtures Andrew's seven siblings and receives dozens of condolence calls and cards, her mind is besieged by questions and "what ifs".
Did police follow proper safety procedures? Was her son conscious or unconscious when struck by the car? Why wasn't he immediately removed from the road once handcuffed? Had he been tasered, despite police denials?
"He never posed a threat to anyone. Out of all the kids he was the one with the biggest heart."
