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Changes needed after inmate suicide: report

By: Bruce Owen

Posted: 12/22/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

A provincial court judge has recommended offenders age 25 or under serving their first stint in Stony Mountain Institution get a detailed psychological assessment before entering the gang-eat-gang prison world.

Judge Marva Smith made the recommendation in an inquest report released Monday that reviewed the July 23, 2006 suicide of an 18-year-old man at Stony Mountain.

Devon Chester Newson hanged himself by wrapping bedsheets to an electrical conduit in his cell, months after he was placed on a range staff considered to be "a tough inmate gang environment," according to the report. A five-day inquest to look at how other deaths could be prevented was held in November 2008.

In her 56-page report, Smith said Newson's suicide was an impulsive, unplanned act. He killed himself after gang members beat him the night before, apparently because he looked at one of them the wrong way.

The inquest was told his suicide shocked Stony staff, the prison psychologist, the consulting psychiatrist and some inmates who had tried to befriend him.

What Stony officials did not know about Newson, formerly of Calgary, was he had a history of impulsive, uncontrollable behaviour. A report outlining his outbursts said he had been treated with Wellbutrin and Risperidone to control his symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, his mood instability, insomnia and anger. That report was prepared when Newson was still considered a young offender and not made available to Correctional Services of Canada.

Guy Langlois, spokesman for Stony Mountain Institution, said officials are now reviewing Smith's report.

Smith said to help avoid similar occurrences, staff should meet with first-time federal inmates age 25 or under within 48 hours of their assignment, and not less than once per week for at least the first four months after an inmate is placed on any new unit or range, to help with any difficulties.

Smith also said Stony staff have to do more to make sure first-time inmates are not put on gang ranges. Up to 40 per cent of inmates belong to or associate with a gang.

Smith added Newson might have been eligible to serve a portion of his sentence in a youth facility, but officials never held a hearing under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Newson, who had a long criminal history as a youth, was serving a six-year sentence for an unprovoked attack on a family member in August 2005, fuelled by a weeklong binge of crack cocaine, alcohol and other drugs.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca

Steps outlined

Recommendations from provincial court Judge Marva Smith to prevent suicides at Stony Mountain Institution (SMI):

The prison must put in place internal procedures and guidelines for staff to select the best unit and range possible to ensure each inmate's security.

Every effort should be made to house first-time federal offenders 25 years or under, who are not active gang members or associates, or have a genuine desire to dissociate themselves from past gang involvement, in units and ranges where there are no gang members.

SMI and Correctional Services of Canada put in place enhanced guidelines and clearly delineated responsibilities for inmates 25 or under who are sentenced to a first-time federal sentence, to protect their safety, and to facilitate their adjustment and placement within the institution.

A sufficient number of automated external defibrillators be acquired so that there will be one available at each kiosk.

SMI should investigate the costs of cell modifications to recess and cover all electrical conduits to prevent use as a fixed point for hanging.

A short brochure concerning suicide risks and stressors, peer and other supports should be made available for use at the initial meeting between a parole officer and inmate.

The topic of suicide prevention and peer support be discussed periodically between parole officer and inmate.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 22, 2009 A3

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