Three inmates at the Edmonton Remand Center have died in less than a month

In October, three people incarcerated at the Edmonton Remand Center died. Details of their deaths remain unknown.

On October 12, Margaret McLennan received a visit from a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer to tell her of the death of her grandson, Marcus West.

The latter, aged 29, was detained at the Edmonton remand center and awaiting his appearance for parole, after being arrested on October 9 for mischief and possession of a weapon.

According to the agent of the GRChe would have died due to withdrawal symptoms.

I at least want to know how he died. Don’t just tell me it’s due to withdrawalsaid Margaret McLennan.

There were guards and cameras on site. He could have gotten help, right?

Defense attorney Graham Johnson, who has represented Marcus West in numerous court cases over the past decade, also expected to get more details about the circumstances surrounding his client’s death.

We at least expected to receive some sort of: “Here’s what we know, we’ll let you know as we investigate.”he explains.

Instead, we face deafening silence.

The lawyer says he last saw his client on October 8, and although he appeared to be living on the streets, he did not appear to be under the influence of any drugs. .

According to Recovery Alberta, inmates receive a health needs assessment when they are admitted to a detention center, including for withdrawal management. If necessary, a nurse or doctor can even prescribe medication.

No official cause of death has been released, as patient confidentiality prevents any disclosure, says Recovery Alberta.

In the case of Marcus West, many gray areas persist, according to his lawyer.

The Inquiry Process in Alberta

In total, three people incarcerated at the Edmonton remand center are believed to have died between 1^is and last October 24. According to Recovery Albertathe three people would have been received by the emergency services for medical distress situations and would have died in hospital.

Lindsay Jennings, researcher at the organization Tracking (In)Justicesays families may now have to wait years to get answers about the exact causes of the deaths.

All these families waiting for investigations to be done and hearing about more deaths in prisons, it’s just ongoing trauma that repeats itselfshe said.

People have the right to know the truth about the death of their loved ones.

In Alberta, when a death occurs in a provincial penal institution, a commission of inquiry is convened to initiate an internal review process.

A public inquiry surrounding the death is also required, but publication of the judge’s findings could take years.

Currently, there are seven deaths at the Edmonton Remand Center on the public inquest docket. The oldest request dates from 2017.

With information from Madeline Smith