Camille Strickland-Murphy's death prompts calls for overhaul of N.L. justice system

Following the death of Camille Strickland-Murphy in a Nova Scotia prison, a local lawyer says there needs to be a major overhaul ofhow the Newfoundland and Labrador justice system deals with mental health issues and addictions.

"Whenever someone ends up in prison, that's the culmination of a disaster," said St. John's defence lawyerMark Gruchy.

"Prison is a disaster. It is not a solution, it's the end of the road. And we can only hope that it doesn't get worse."

Strickland-Murphy was a St. John's resident, who was serving a three-year sentence for the armed robbery of a Shoppers Drug Mart in Newfoundland in 2014. She had drug and alcohol addictionsas well as mental illness.

• Camille Strickland-Murphy dies at Nova Institution for Women in Truro

The provincial correctional system does not offer any treatment options, so Strickland-Murphy chose to go to federal prison on the mainland so she could gethelp.

Gruchy said he often sees his clients make similar decisions, with some opting for longer sentences just so they can serve time at a better-equipped jail.

The provincial prison facilities are abysmal, he said, and do nothing to help those with mental health issues.

People do not just open a bottle of pills and become an armed robber.-Mark Gruchy, St. John's defence lawyer

"It's a tragic situation for people to want more time in another place, rather than getting that underlying help for their condition in an earlier stage," he said.

"A prison is a prison, and you end up with people in very dark situations and you can still have tragedies develop."

At the time of her death, Strickland-Murphy was serving her second stint in federal prison

Gruchy said heconstantly sees clients with addiction problems falling through the cracks and being put in prison instead of receiving the help they need.

He said that societal attitudes towards addictions are a big part of the problem.

"We still have people who make strict moral judgements, particularly in the realm of substance abuse, that are not very helpful and don't actually do anything substantive to correct the problem," he said.

"People do not just open a bottle of pills and become an armed robber. What's happening is the culmination usually of years of cumulative problems. The addiction then aggravates everything that already exists, and puts the person in an impossible situation."

In order to truly help, Gruchy said the province should implement better intervention services or drug treatment courts, such as those available in other parts of Canada.