Inmate wrote about abuses before death
Third N.L. prisoner to die since April appealed to province for help
ST. JOHN’S, N. L.— A 31-year-old inmate who died in a Newfoundland and Labrador prison last weekend wrote a letter to the province’s Human Rights Commission days before his death, appealing for help in confronting abuses he says were taking place.
In the letter dated June 25, Christopher Sutton asked about prisoners’ rights to fresh air and exercise, and legal limits on segregation, as he described being held in a room with lighting for 24 hours straight at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s.
“Here at HMP, segregation is like no other, it’s by far the worst punishment a person can endure in a Canadian facility,” he wrote. “I’m seeking change, a change for the people in the future who may be placed in such a (tough) situation. Please help me, and send me whatever information possible.”
Sutton’s death at the aging penitentiary was the fourth in a Newfoundland provincial prison since last August, and the third since April of this year.
Kim Mackay, vice-chair of the province’s Human Rights Commission, was given Sutton’s note and said the recent spate of inmate deaths shows there is a need for better administrative processes to ensure the humane treatment of prisoners, and that inmates with mental health issues are receiving appropriate care.
The Department of Health announced Wednesday that it plans to take on oversight of health care for prisoners by the end of next year.
Mackay says the current system under the Department of Justice allows prisoners’ medical needs to slip through the cracks, such as placing inmates who are mentally ill in segregation.
“The issue I have is that if somebody had cancer and we locked them up, we would not deprive them of treatment,” Mackay said.
She says Sutton’s letter is consistent with comments she’s heard from other inmates, adding that he demonstrated an understanding of the international laws protecting his rights.
Mark Gruchy, a St. John’s lawyer who has worked with clients from the penitentiary for years, says Sutton’s intellect stood out even in the tough conditions of the prison.
“I would describe him as an intelligent and relatively reasonable person considering the circumstances. Chris was notable to me that way. The letter he wrote to the Human Rights Commission reflects that,” Gruchy said.
He says the outdated, crowded prison’s reliance on administrative segregation as a way to manage inmates has had a negative impact on both the culture in the prison and prisoners’ mental health.
“Administrative segregation is tremendously bad for people. Human beings are social animals — when you put someone in a box and you isolate them, horrible things happen,” Gruchy said. “It’s not acceptable to use administrative segregation as a Band-Aid fix for facilities that can’t do their jobs, which is what’s happening essentially.”