CONTENT WARNING: The following details may be distressing.
In May 2019, Benjamin Toutsaint, died by suicide at a correctional centre in Saskatoon.
An inquest into his death is underway in Saskatoon this week.
Toutsaint, of Black Lake First Nation, was serving a two-year sentence for assault at the time of his death.
This week’s inquest saw the selection of six jurors, three of whom are indigenous. The jury will now spend the next few days hearing the circumstances around Toutsaint’s death and will then be charged with making recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.
First witness indicates Toutsaint’s death a suicide
The first witness at the inquest was Ryan Chiesa an RPC Correctional officer who was on shift the day Toutsaint died. He says he found Toutsaint hanging in his cell during a wellness check.
During his testimony, Chiesa spoke on the regular hourly checks he did as a correctional officer. At around 4:30 pm on May 18, 2019 Chiesa says he observed Toutsaint safe and well in his cell. However, in a later check, Chiesa and another officer would come back with what was described as an incorrect count of inmates. They had counted 7 inmates while they should have counted 8. When returning to confirm the count they would find Benjamin Toutsaint hanging in his cell.
According to Monday’s witnesses, there are clothes hooks in RPC cells that are designed to buckle under a person’s body weight. Toutsaint, however, was able to put a ligature through a bar behind the hook connecting it to the wall.
Chiesa says Toutsaint was cut down after an officer retrieved a knife from the 911 box on the unit. Life-saving methods were then used on Toutsaint before EMS arrived when he was pronounced deceased.
Suspension Points concern previously brought forward
Another corrections officer testified at the inquest saying he had brought concerns about the suspension points behind the collapsible hooks to RPC management before Toutsaint’s death.
Chris Crosby has worked as a correctional officer since 2008, originally on the east coast, before he was transferred to the Regional Psychiatric Centre in 2018.
Crosby says the concerns he brought to management on the suspension points around the collapsible hooks were not addressed. The corrections officer says these hooks were not in any other facility he has worked in and he believes they should be removed from RPC.
Crosby also spoke on RPC’s recount policy at the facility where officers would count how many inmates should be in the units on their hourly check. Crosby believes the development of a bed board – a log that could be carried by officers and would tell them who should be in what cell – would be helpful.
RPC representatives say no recommendations needed
When Crown Prosecutor Robin Ritter asked two different representatives of the Regional Psychiatric Centre if they had any possible recommendations to offer the jury they said no.
Deputy Warden Leshia Sorokan and Assistant Warden Grace Chopky provided testimony at the inquest.
When Ritter pressed them on the suspension points behind the collapsible hooks both admitted this is something RPC could look into.
Sorokan did defend the collapsible hooks saying there have been many instances where they worked as designed, but admitted in this situation they failed.
The deputy warden also expressed concerns of removing the hooks as it may require RPC to remove several other objects from inmate’s rooms, which she believes may negatively affect them while inmates at the facility.
As it pertains to number checks Sorokan and Chopky say there is a master board in every unit that tells officers which inmate is in which cell. Sorokan says it should be up to each individual officer to ensure they know who is in what cell based on the master board.
Possible communication issues between health staff and security team
Many of Monday’s witnesses spoke on what could be described as a communication rift between the health staff at the psychiatric centre and the security team.
While the two wardens testified to consistent meetings between the health and security staff, the two corrections officer and one psychiatric nurse spoke on this as a possible issue.
According to Sorokan, information around Benjamin Toutsaint’s suicidal tendencies were not passed on to all staff. This was information both corrections officers and the nurse who testified said they did not know.
When asked, the two corrections officers believed this would have been helpful information to them and it would be helpful to know the suicidal tendencies of inmates going forward.