Nova Scotia to respond to inquiry into jail cell death of Howard Hyde

<p>HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government is set to make public its response to an inquiry into the jail cell death of a mentally ill man nearly four years ago.</p> <p>Howard Hyde died in November 2007 while in custody in a Halifax jail after he was restrained by guards.</p> <p>An inquiry concluded last year that the restraint technique used by the guards played a role in the accidental death of the 45-year-old schizophrenic.</p> <p>Hyde’s story attracted national attention because he had been Tasered up to five times by Halifax police about 30 hours before he died.</p> <p>But Anne Derrick, the provincial court judge who led the inquiry, said the repeated Tasering did not cause Hyde’s death.</p> <p>However, she recommended that stun guns not be used to immobilize emotionally disturbed people unless crisis intervention techniques have failed.</p> <p>The province’s health and justice ministers will release their response to Derrick’s inquiry report later today.</p>