Jailed man makes suicide attempt
Advocates urge better health care
Another inmate has attempted to commit suicide inside the Ottawa jail.
Paramedics were called to the jail on Wednesday after the inmate was found hanging in his cell. He was taken to hospital where he remains in the intensive care unit.
It is the third known suicide attempt inside the jail in the past 10 months. Two other inmates, Yousef Hussein and Justin StAmour, both died after hanging themselves in their cells.
Correctional officer and union local president Denis Collin said the inmate was in a cell in an area of the jail known as the pods.
One inmate told the Citizen that the inmate was in a cell on the lower level of the B pod. The inmate said paramedics were trying to resuscitate the inmate as he was removed on a stretcher.
The attempted suicide occurred as the jail continues to try to improve their mental health services, including the creation of three interim step-down units for inmates with mental illness. Step-down units are dedicated sections of the jail reserved for inmates not ready to be a part of general population.
A task force that looked into overcrowding and other issues plaguing the jail recommended the creation of permanent mental health and step-down units, but construction on those have yet to begin.
Irene Mathias, a task force member and spokeswoman for the advocacy group Mothers Offering Mutual Support, said there is something wrong if people are hanging themselves in their cells.
“We just have to be able to do better than this,” she said. “It’s still not working.”
Collin said based on what he knows of the circumstances, he is confident that staff were conducting their duties appropriately at the time of the suicide attempt.
“I think it falls into the bigger discussion of do we have adequate health care in our institution,” said Collin. “Mental health is such a big issue inside our institution. I just don’t want the ministry to do a Band-Aid job.”
The ministry of community safety and correctional services declined to comment on the suicide attempt, and would only say a male inmate was found in “medical distress” in his cell on Wednesday. The ministry said they wouldn’t release more details for privacy reasons.