Members of the Saskatchewan NDP and the family of a woman with intellectual disabilities are shining a light on the mistreatment some face and suffer under the provincial government.
The Official Opposition housing and social services critic Meara Conway and justice critic Nicole Sarauer were joined by Barbara Stuckey, mother of Jessica Stuckey who was sent to jail instead of receiving support programs that she needed. Sarauer said this should have never happened.
“The society government is using jails as a substitute for community supports for those living with intellectual disabilities,” she said.
“This is wrong. This affects all of us and it hurts all of us.“
Stuckey is a 24-year-old woman with Smith-Magenus syndrome which is a developmental disorder that can delay speech, language skills and may cause behavioural problems. In November 2022, Stuckey was sent to the remand centre at Pine Grove Correctional Centre, where other inmates expressed concern of her presence in jail.
She spent a total of 36 days in the Pine Grove Correctional facility and is now in a psychiatric centre in Regina. Jessica’s time in jail could have been prevented if adequate resources were made available, as her mother expresses concerns of how her daughter fell through the cracks of the system.
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“What I’d like to see is her get the funding, come to COR and have a life,” said Jessica’s mother, Barbara.
“I always wanted her to have a life, an independent life, where she is happy and has things to do like everyone else. That’s what I’d like to see happen.“
Creative Options Regina (COR) is organization that develops personalized support services for people experiencing disability. In order for Jessica to get into COR, funding is needed and is what is holding back Jessica from receiving the proper treatment that she needs.
The Sask. NDP and the Stuckey family said the province failed to provide appropriate supports for Jessica in the community.
“Jessica found herself incarcerated because of behaviour she cannot manage on her own, behaviour that she needs support with behaviour,” said Conway.
“This government’s inaction on this file is cruel. It’s unconscionable and it’s exorbitantly expensive. This kind of incompetence is not cheap.”
In a press conference on Jan. 17, 2023, the NDP critics call on the Ministry of Social Services to provide “one good reason not to step in and fund this woman in an appropriate agency.”
“All they require is funding to do so. Anything less is an acknowledgment, in my view, that this government has lost all moral authority on disability issues in this province,” said Conway.
Bob Martinook, the Executive Director of Community Living Service Delivery, said in an email statement to Global News while the Ministry of Social Services can’t speak to case specifics,they want Jessica Stuckey and her family to know they understand their concerns.
“We support over 6000 individuals with intellectual disabilities through a variety of residential services and day programs. The aim of these programs is to support people to live as independently as possible within their own communities,” stated Martinook. “We partner with over 135 third-party service providers across the province, including the Yorkton and Melville area, to provide residential services, day program supports and comprehensive behavioural supports for persons with intellectual disabilities.”
Martinook said their services are voluntary for people with intellectual disabilities, and they respect people’s right to make their own decisions and support individuals to do so.
“We take a person-centred approach to work collaboratively with them through assessment, analysis and planning to identify their service needs,” he stated. “Where assistance is required, that planning process broadens to include the individual and a core group of people who know, care and are committed to supporting them.”
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