Inmate treated for aggression, inquest hears
Woman anxious about release from psychiatric centre prior to death: nurse
The nursing supervisor at the Regional Psychiatric Centre when Kinew James was a patient testified Wednesday about the care James received.
Part of her treatment was targeted at her aggressive behaviour when agitated, Lisa Madraga told the coroner’s inquest into James’s death.
James, 35, died on Jan. 20, 2013, after she was found unresponsive in her cell at the RPC, a federal institution operated by Correctional Service Canada (CSC). She was initially serving a six-year sentence for manslaughter, but accumulated dozens of charges while in prison, adding 10 more years to her sentence. She suffered from mental and physical health issues, including schizophrenia and diabetes.
James would sometimes direct verbal outbursts at staff, Madraga testified.
She said staff were teaching James life skills and strategies to deal with her emotions, including taking a time out or going into selfconfinement, either in her cell or another room in the facility.
When James arrived from the Grand Valley women’s prison in Kitchener, Ont., on Nov. 20, 2012, RPC staff did not receive her medical records, the inquest heard. They came three days later. Madraga said this was problematic, but she had prepared a guide for staff based on conversations with Grand Valley staff.
James saw a dietitian who suggested a diabetes-appropriate diet and this was available to her, but it was up to her to follow it, Madraga said, noting junk food was available at the canteen.
If her blood sugar was over a certain level, a doctor had to be called, but James sometimes refused to have her blood sugar taken, Madraga said.
The last time she saw James she was eating a chocolate bar; she advised James she shouldn’t eat it, but James didn’t respond well, saying it was none of her business, Madraga testified.
She was not working on the day of James’s death.
Mental-health issues make it difficult for a person to regulate their diet, and medications can cause weight gain and tiredness, creating a “vicious circle,” she testified.
James was also feeling anxious about her impending release that summer, Madraga said, noting many patients feel that way — while they look forward to getting out, it means leaving a familiar and supportive space.
The coroner’s jury and members of the public were excluded from the courtroom on Wednesday while lawyers and coroner Timothy Hawryluk debated the admissibility of a document Elizabeth Fry Society lawyer Gillian Gough wanted to question Madraga about.
Hawryluk’s comments to the room when the inquest reconvened appeared to indicate the document will be admitted into evidence, but Gough did not immediately raise it.
The Elizabeth Fry Society, which advocates on behalf of female inmates in Canada, was granted standing at the inquest last year after a judge ordered the coroner’s office to reconsider its initial denial.
Gough has previously said CSC documents obtained by the society point to systemic issues, including a lack of continuity of care as James was transferred from institution to institution.
The inquest is expected to continue Thursday.
Staff were teaching James life skills and strategies to deal with her emotions.