$11M Suit Settled Following Woman's Strangulation Death
The family of a 19-year-old Canadian woman has settled a lawsuit against the Correctional Service of Canada following the woman’s strangulation death in her cell. The suit was settled just after documented letters from the 19-year-old to her parents showed evidence that she faced abuse from the guards at the facility where she was imprisoned. The evidence from the letters was not included in the suit but they are being used as leverage to get the coroner to release videos showing the woman getting forced injections of anti-psychotic drugs.
Doctors in the facility claimed the woman frequently acted out as a way to gain attention, spitting at guards and kicking or grabbing at them. In one occasion while placed in solitary confinement, the woman reportedly choked herself to unconsciousness. Smith also complained that she was being assaulted by one specific guard at the CSC, however that guard was found not guilty and reached a confidential settlement after taking his case to the Saskatchewan labor relations. The 19-year-old’s death was ultimately deemed an accident.
In any correctional facility, there is bound to be a prisoner that is difficult to work with and may cause problems for guards in charge. While certain measures do need to be taken to ensure those people do not hurt themselves or others while in the facility, completely dismissing a person’s actions as “a cry for attention” should never happen. Despite the correctional facility’s primary function, the people kept there should be completely guarded and not disregarded by any means. In addition, a guard does not have the right to abuse anybody in the correctional facility by any means. If this occurs, they should be held liable if they cause any serious injuries against the person involved.
