OTTAWA – She died at 35 from an apparent heart attack, after spending nearly half her life behind bars.
And a prison advocate who knew her well says Kinew James didn’t need to die.
Now, a Saskatchewan coroner’s inquest is expected into James’ death as soon as an investigation is complete. Kim Pate, executive director of prison advocacy group Elizabeth Fry Society, hopes there will finally be answers.
“Kinew was an incredibly principled, strong-willed and determined young woman,” Pate said in an interview.
“I think her mental health was part of the reason she did not receive appropriate health care.”
James was incarcerated at Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon when she died on January 20, 2013.
Pate says from what she understands of the circumstances, James called for help for an hour but was told by staff and nurses to wait because they were busy and that they would come as soon as they could. None of the allegations have been proven.
“Eventually by the time they did respond it was too late,” said Pate.
“It’s not clear yet who was making what decisions, in terms of what happened to her. Hopefully that will become clear eventually.”
James’ death came more than five years after the death of teenager Ashley Smith, who chocked herself to death at Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener, Ont.while guards looked on.
James is the only woman named in prison ombudsman Howard Sapers’ report released Monday as part of an investigation into self-harm and mental illness in women’s prisons.
She agreed to be interviewed only under the condition that the Office of the Correctional Investigator publicly acknowledge her name – a rare move in a system that thrives on secrecy.
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James died six months after she was interviewed.
Her death prompted the Correctional Service of Canada to change the rules surrounding medical emergencies, calling on staff to respond to emergency calls within 15 minutes.
Correctional investigators note James’ death “was unrelated to self-injurious behaviour.”
A spokeswoman said the CSC cannot comment on an offender’s case due to privacy law, but an investigation takes places after the death of every offender.
“The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) takes the death of an inmate very seriously. The loss of life is a tragedy at any time,” spokeswoman Sara Parkes wrote in an email.
“CSC examines each of these incidents in order to improve its practices to prevent and reduce future incidents. Ensuring the safety and security of institutions, inmates, staff, and public remains the highest priority in the operations of the federal correctional system.”
James entered the prison system as a teenager, where she began cutting and choking herself.
When she died, she was nearing the end of a 15-year sentence for manslaughter, assault, uttering threats, arson, mischief and obstruction of justice. James had her sentence extended by almost a decade for crimes she committed while incarcerated.
Pate said James proved many people wrong who said she was not bright enough to earn her high school diploma, which she did behind bars.
“She was clear she wanted to move on with her life,” Pate said.
“She was intent on continuing her education and eventually rejoining her family and contributing to her family.”
Here is the excerpt of the investigators interview with James:
Kinew James: If I could change anything I would try to offer more, like, more tools, like, to help—like if I was to look at someone younger than me, like half-like maybe eighteen-nineteen years old and that’s into self-harming, I would try to find ways, ways that they may help them more.
Investigator: And what are those tools?
Kinew James: So that they don’t end up with all— … a whole bunch of scars and…
Investigator: What are those tools though?
Kinew James: Like more counselling, like more intervention, and like more—(Pauses) like more stuff from DBT(dialectical behaviour therapy) like self-soothing stuff, like, like—I don’t know … Like the thing with the ice cream, with the girl who gave me an ice cream, the inmate? … Maybe they should have stuff for these young girls that if they self harm , oh you know you can have a treat if you don’t do this—that’s what they used to do in-in RPC years ago when I first started doing my time. They used to give the girls—they used to give the girls a chocolate bar a day. If they didn’t self-harm, at the end of the day they would get a chocolate bar.
Investigator: Because what you’re saying is if you, at the end of the day, perhaps they work through in a positive way instead of self-harming then you’re—there’s an incentive for you.
Kinew James: Yeah, and it doesn’t even have to be just a chocolate bar…
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