Joint inquest to examine deaths at London jail

Almost two years after the death of her stepson in jail, Liz Thompson has again some faint hope of getting answers. But she’s not holding out much hope of change.

“I feel the same I always have, that nothing is changing. Even when there’s an inquest, what changes will come?” she said. Ontario’s coroner’s office announced Tuesday that a joint inquest would be called into the overdose deaths at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC) of Floyd Deleary, 39, in 2015, Justin Thompson, 27, in 2016 and Murray Davis, 24, in 2017.

The inquest will examine the events surrounding their deaths and a jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths.

The date and location of the inquest have not been set, the coroner’s office said.

This is the second time Liz Thompson has been told an inquest into Justin’s death was coming.

In August 2017, the coroner’s office announced an inquest into the death of Thompson and Deleary.

The coroner’s office told her the inquest was scheduled for November, but later cancelled that start date, Thompson said.

She’s not convinced inquests do anything, but recent events at EMDC prove they should come sooner rather than later.

“We shouldn’t have to wait two to three years to get an inquest. There were seven overdoses there (EMDC) last week.

“They could have been fatal,” she said. London police reported last week that seven inmates on one range survived after overdosing Aug. 9.

“Maybe a joint inquest will have more clout, with people saying, ‘Look there are three people right here who died. What are the issues? How is this happening?’ ” Thompson said.

A Postmedia analysis of inquests into 61 jail deaths across Ontario from 2007 to 2016 suggested there was little impact from jury recommendations, which are not binding.

We shouldn’t have to wait two to three years to get an inquest. There were seven overdoses there (EMDC) last week. They could have been fatal.

Drug smuggling, addiction screening and addiction treatment were common issues raised in those inquests.

Of the 13 deaths at EMDC since 2009, four have been subject to inquests. In some cases, changes have come, but often only after long delays.

Earlier this year, the province held an inquest into the deaths of eight inmates in four years at the Hamilton jail. The jury made 62 recommendations to help prevent similar deaths.

“Some of the systemic issues can be addressed all at once in a joint inquest,” said London lawyer Kevin Egan, who represented one family at the Hamilton inquest and represents several families of London inmates who died at EMDC. Egan said he has mixed feelings about joint inquests.

“They may get more attention, but I also kind of wonder whether it’s just a way of dealing with the high volume by dealing with them at once.”

There’s been little change from inquests into individual deaths, he said.

“We might as well try this.”