Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Killed by prison guards!

Matthew Ryan Hines (age 33 in 2015) died on may 26, 2015 of asphyxiation by pepper spray while handcuffed in the back.  The office of the correctionnal investigator has just handed-in his report and it is scary resding!  Public security minister Ralph Goodale approves the recommendations of this report.
The chain of events goes like this:  on the night of may 25:
at 10:03 PM , Hines is tackled by 4 agents who handcuff him.
at 10:16 Hines is held on the ground in the kitchen by 5 agents and pepper spray is applied to his face
at 10:22 More pepper spray, twice.  Hines begs for help.  He is sent to the shower.
at 10:26 he is in the shower, more or less conscious
at 10:29 He has convulsions.  He is removed by the feet.  He is taken to the nursing station.  The nurse does not take the vital signs, but a 911 call is made at 10:31 for an ambulance.  The nurse's noteswere later found to have been falsified. He still has more convulsions and spits blood, transfer to the ambulance at 11 PM.  The death is reported by the hospital at 00:27 AM. to the RCMP
Since adolescence, Hines has a mental illness.  He was taking an antidepressant.  His family was first informed that Hines had died of a crisis, suggesting drug abuse.
After the death, some employees were blamed but only one was fired.  The ful report is available at: www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/oth-aut/oth-aut20170215-eng.aspx
The correctionnal investigator reports that the way correctionnal services investigate and write their reports on prison deaths and the lessons learned are inadequate. How nany prisoners were injured at the Dorchester pen in a similar way before this death?