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AFN press release

Assembly of First Nations National Chief supports OCI Investigator Findings

     OTTAWA, May 21 /CNW Telbec/ - The AFN is deeply disturbed by the findings of the Correctional Investigator, Howard Sapers, in his report released today regarding the October 2006 death of a First Nations inmate.

     We fully support the key recommendations and call on the federal government to work with us to take immediate steps to implement them and to review progress on implementation of his October 2006 report. The AFN also calls on Mr. Sapers to determine answers to the following questions:

     - Why did it take so long for Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) staff to respond to a medical emergency which resulted in what appears to be a preventable loss of life?
     - Is there any truth to the allegations of racial discrimination towards this First Nations offender - allegations made by inmates and other corrections staff?
     - Why were there inaccurate communications about the incident, and why were there excessive delays in the investigative process?

     "Our sympathy and prayers go to the family of the victim of the preventable, senseless incident. We know that poverty breeds helplessness and hopelessness, which results in far too many of our young men and women committing crimes of despair," said AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine. "Next Thursday, on the National Day of Action, we will again be asking Canadians to support out proposed solutions to turn poverty and despair into hope and prosperity."

     This is another report highlighting the fact that nothing has really improved within the corrections system for our people," added National Chief Fontaine. "We strongly urge the agency to swiftly implement all of the recommendations in the Correctional Investigator's 2006 report, in today's report, and to finally act on Mr. Saper's longstanding call for a Deputy Commissioner for Aboriginal Offenders."

     Highlights of today's Key Recommendations fully supported by AFN include:

     - Develop new policy requiring responses to medical emergencies be videotaped.
     - Immediately deliver a Diversity Awareness/Sensitivity Program to all CSC employees across Canada.
     - Share all information related to incidents of death and serious injury with police in a timely manner.
     - Develop a policy on how CSC management is to address allegations of discrimination against offenders when those allegations originate with CSC staff members or when they are raised during the course of an investigation.

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/For further information: Joan McEwen, Director of Communications, Assembly of First Nations, (613) 241-6789 ext. 242, jmcewen@afn.ca/

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From CTV

Guards did not act to save native man: report

CTV.ca News Staff - May 21, 2008

Martin Blackwind, a native prison inmate, was bleeding to death in his cell from a deep self-inflicted slash to his arm. But staff offered him no first aid and took 10 minutes to call an ambulance, a scathing new report says.

According to a new report, Martin Blackwind died after not receiving treatment for a self-inflicted slash to his arm at Warkworth Institution, northeast of Toronto. 

Both corrections staff and fellow inmates at Warkworth Institution, a medium-security facility 200 km northeast of Toronto, made allegations that Blackwind's race played a role in his death, the report says.

The report also found that the information that Corrections Canada released to the public about Blackwind's death was riddled with inaccurate information.

Correctional investigator Howard Sapers called his report's findings "disturbing."

Blackwind is not named in Saper's report in keeping with the family's wishes and privacy restrictions. But the dates and details match public records of Blackwind's death and an imminent coroner's inquest.

Saper told CTV's Mike Duffy Live that the death of the inmate shows that corrections officials need to address systemic issues.

About two out of every three deaths in custody reviewed may be attributed to inadequate staff response, according to Saper. He said there needs to be better medical training, equipment, and policies to make sure inmates are provided life-saving treatment when circumstances warrant.

After the unnamed inmate cited in the report died, "there were allegations that discrimination played a role in the failure to respond adequately."

Saper said such allegations need to be dealt with seriously. One of his report's recommendations calls for diversity training for correctional officers.

"There is clear evidence of systemic racism against aboriginal prisoners (in the corrections system)," Phil Fontaine, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations told Mike Duffy Live.

"The government has not moved on this. It's really a very difficult situation for aboriginal inmates."

Fontaine said there is interest in the aboriginal community of setting up a separate penal system for native offenders.

"My own personal view is to make the effort to fix the existing system," he said.

Blackwind was serving a 17-year manslaughter conviction for the beating death of his common-law wife, Kathleen Hart.

The report describes in detail the events that led to Blackwind's death.

On Oct. 3, 2006, Blackwind, 52, cut a major artery in his left arm. He pressed his cell emergency button, which brought him to prison officials' attention.

Thirty-three minutes later, paramedics arrived on the scene to find Blackwind, unconscious and not breathing, with his blood soaked into the mattress. Blackwind died about an hour after paramedics arrived.

The report, which is based on two separate investigations, found that:

• Staff failed to extend first aid.
• Staff did not determine what Blackwind's injuries were.
• They left him alone and locked in his cell, bleeding to death, for long stretches.
• They did not call for an ambulance until 10 minutes after the man's distress call.

Four corrections staff have been disciplined for failing to administer first aid and failing to take action to save a human life.

Their punishments range from 10 to 20 days without pay.

Inaccurate information

Correctional Services of Canada released a news release on the day of Blackwind's death, which the report found to be riddled with incorrect information.

The news release said that staff "immediately" called for an ambulance and that Blackwind became unconscious when being put in the ambulance.

The report, called "Failure to Respond" made a number of recommendations for Corrections Canada including;

• Videotaping responses to medical emergencies.
• Delivering a "diversity awareness-sensitivity program" to all correctional staff.
• Sharing all information related to inmate deaths and injuries with police in a timely fashion.
• Developing a response policy to allegation of discrimination.

Corrections Canada says it will respond fully to the recommendations and that an investigation into the discrimination allegations has already been convened. 

With files from The Canadian Press