Jail a 'revolving door' for mentally ill, inquest hears

Mentally ill inmates are often released from jailwithout treatment plans or community support, almost guaranteeingthey'll findthemselves behind bars again, a coroner's jury heard Monday.

The jury in Ottawa isexaminingthe death of Justin St. Amour, 31, who hanged himself at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC) on Nov. 30, 2016. He was then transferred to hospital, where he died just over a week later.

St. Amour had a historyof severe mental illness, foster homes, drug use and self harm.

He also had ahistory of incarceration, withperiods spent in jail overaltercations and threats of violence. When he wasn't in jail, St. Amourwas often homeless, spending many nights sleeping among tombstones in Notre-Dame Cemetery.

Need 'a system in place'

Dr.AG Ahmed,associate chief of the integrated forensic program at The Royal, told the jury that without a network of psychological care providers to offer support, people with mental illnessface a"revolving door" of incarceration.

"So if we really want to respond to this, we'd better have a system in place that would take care of these individuals who are a high risk and high need," Ahmedtold the inquest.

St. Amour had been takenoff suicide watch and released from segregationwhen he attempted to takehis own life, thecoroner's lawyer, Tom Schneider, told the jury.St. Amour was found unresponsive and transferred to Ottawa hospital, where hedied eight days later afterbeing taken off life support.

Coroner's inquest begins today into suicide of mentally ill man at OCDC

5 years ago

Duration 0:49

Justin St. Amour hanged himself at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre in 2016.

'Should have been in a hospital'

St. Amour's mother, Laureen St. Amour, told the inquest about achild who "was full of wonder" and "loved life," but whose mental health deterioratedas he became a teenager and began complaining of hearing voices "telling him to harm himself."

St. Amour saidher son should never have been in jail in the first place.

"I mean, how could that help him?" she said."I think he should have been in a hospital."

Preventing suicides in jail

5 years ago

Duration 0:31

The Royal's Dr. AG Ahmed describes barriers faced by the mentally ill in various facilities.

It's the second recent inquest into a suicide at OCDC.An earlier inquest was held into the death ofCleve"Cas"Geddes, 30, who died in hospital in February2017, two days after hanging himself while in segregation at the jail.

Thatinquest ended inDecemberwith 48 recommendations, including an end to solitary confinement for mentally ill inmates.