A four-member jury has made 38 recommendations in the forensic investigation into Delilah Blair’s death in prison, including acknowledging that inmates calling their loved ones should not be considered a privilege. Blair died by hanging as an inmate at the Southwest Detention Center (SWDC) in Windsor, OD, on May 21, 2017. She was in the mental health unit. The court heard Blair, a 30-year-old mother of four, had made at least two written requests to speak to her mother, Celina McIntyre, in the weeks before her death. McIntyre lived more than 4,000 miles away in Hay River, NWT, in the weeks before her daughter died. Blair was a native of Kri with an Inuit upbringing. Blair completed this inmate application form asking to speak with her mother on May 7, 2017, two weeks before her death. Prison staff did not complete the answers section, so it is unclear what action was taken, if any. (forensic investigation) These demands were not met and McIntyre testified the first time she knew her daughter was in prison was when someone called to say she was dead. “My daughter was going to tell me something and I will never hear those words from her. She seemed to have been silenced for some reason,” McIntyre had previously told CBC News. CLOCKS Delilah Blair’s mother talks about her daughter’s death:
Selina McIntyre talks about the “most harmful part” of listening to the investigation into her daughter’s death
Delilah Blair, 30, committed suicide in May 2017 while inmates at the South West Detention Center. Her death is the subject of a forensic investigation. The jury recommended that the Attorney General’s Ministry, which oversees prisons, update policies so that a detainee’s access to a telephone is not considered a privilege. In addition, any detainee who cannot communicate with a family member using a prison card issued by the prison should have priority access to a separate telephone in order to be able to call the family, the jury found. Kate Forget, a medical examiner and legal adviser to the Attorney General’s Department of Indigenous Justice, stressed the importance of the issue at the end of Thursday’s submission. “Knowing that she made this request while in a women’s mental health unit by today’s standards would be considered segregation,” Forget said. “[It] it makes it more and more heartbreaking. “ Kate Forget is a legal adviser to the Attorney General’s Department of Indigenous Justice. (Jason Viau / CBC)
Prison staff were unaware that Delilah Blair was a native
The court heard that none of the many prison officials who testified knew Blair was a native. Mr Blair, 30, had applied for rehab while in the SWDC but did not receive any. (Robert Blair / Facebook) Also, no indigenous planning was offered to inmates in the women’s mental health unit, there was no access to spiritual elders or custodians, and at that time, the institution did not have a Native Inmate Liaison Officer (NILO). Many witnesses who testified, including some prison staff, said they recognized the needs of indigenous peoples, especially women in detention, are unique when considering the deep connection to culture. The jury made the following recommendations for improving indigenous prison conditions throughout Ontario:
Indigenous peoples must be able to access copyright as well as programs on a regular basis and without undue delay. The ministry should review policies to recognize cultural and intellectual support as a fundamental right to health care for all. The ministry should engage in community consultation to develop basic indigenous leadership-led programming. The SWDC and the ministry should increase the special education of the natives to all frontline workers.
The interrogation was heard by 17 witnesses over a period of nine days. The lawyers involved in the proceedings made 47 recommendations to the jury. An inmate treatment plan described a number of mental health problems that prison staff should be aware of when monitoring Blair, including anxiety, depression, and withdrawal. Prison officials who testified during the investigation said they did not know how to access an inmate care plan, even in 2022. The SWDC “has little work to do” to “actively involve employees” and understand prisoner care plans, said Linda Ogilvie, director of corporate healthcare at the Attorney General’s Office. The jury recommended to the ministry “to ensure that all penitentiaries are trained on the importance of inmate care plans”.
The family believes the death was accidental
The jury also concluded that Blair had committed suicide. She was found in her cell with a torn, tied sheet around her neck that was attached to a floating shelf in her locked cell. However, the family believes that her death was accidental. Christa Big Canoe, a family lawyer and director of Aboriginal Legal Services, said Blair’s mental state was unknown at the time and that her intentions to end her life were unclear. The lawyer also points out the fact that no suicide note was found. Christa Big Canoe represented the family during the investigation. She is also the Legal Director of the Aboriginal Legal Services. (Jason Viau / CBC) The family also cited security camera footage showing Blair bypassing the women’s mental health unit and dancing in the common area within an hour of her body being found without vital signs in her cell. “Those who love her have been left with many questions since her death,” Big Canoe said. SWDC is a relatively new facility that opened in 2014. However, the jury saw photos comparing the men’s mental health unit with the women’s mental health unit and noticed many differences. The men are under direct supervision, which means that the officers are directly in the unit at all times. Meanwhile, women in the mental health department are under indirect supervision. At that time, the penitentiary officers checked them twice an hour. Much of the social contact from these guards was made through the reception of dinner at Blair’s door. The jury suggested several changes to improve these conditions:
The SWDC will make every effort to ensure that the Women’s Mental Health Unit is directly supervised. When designing new penitentiary facilities, the ministry will consider housing based on the needs of women and women-defined mental health clients.
Prison staff were not prepared for an emergency
None of the several prison staff or prison health workers who responded to Blair’s emergency were equipped with what is known as a “911 knife” to cut the leaf or a defibrillator to help her rejuvenate. jury. There were no rescue items in any of the prison emergency equipment bags. Paramedics arrived with an automatic external defibrillator (AED) 12 minutes after it was found to be non-responsive. The jury made the following recommendations to help prevent similar deaths in the future:
Check the shelves of the women’s mental health unit to determine if they should be retrofitted to reduce the risk of suicide. Consult the federal government and other counties about the possibility of bedding that is less prone to tearing for use by detainees rather than in suicide surveillance. If there are viable options, the government will implement the new bedding in all provincial institutions. The ministry will include AEDs in nurses’ equipment bags. The SWDC / Ministry ensures that the first sergeant responding to a medical emergency is responsible for ensuring that a 911 knife is transported to the scene of an emergency.
Mr Blair has been in the SWDC for less than two months awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to robbery. For many years, she struggled with her crack cocaine addiction. As an inmate at the SWDC, he sought detoxification services without receiving them. The jury also recommended that the ministry provide “timely access” to detoxification services and support for detainees. Forensic examination is required by law when a detainee dies in custody. Although the Attorney General’s Office is not required to implement any of the recommendations, government attorney Aisha Amode said they are being carefully considered. The province is also required to respond to each of the 38 jury recommendations.
