Inquest into Winnipeg woman's death hears calls for young offender supports
18-year-old died a month after she was released from Manitoba Youth Centre
A two-month inquest into the death of an 18-year-old woman concluded in Winnipeg on Friday, with community advocates calling for more transitional support for young offenders with mental health issues after they are released from jail.
The woman, identified at the inquest by the initials "M.A.," killed herself on Aug. 30, 2010, just over a month after she was released from custody at the Manitoba Youth Centre.
As groups made final submissions on Friday, the inquest heard that M.A. was in the care of Anishinaabe Child and Family Services, she had a mental illness, and she was convicted of committing a serious crime.
In 2008, M.A. was given a three-year Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision (IRCS) sentence, which provided extra mental health support as well as indigenous cultural support.
She served two years behind bars, and her third year was to be spent supervised in the community. M.A. was in the care of her 19-year-old sister at the time of her death.
Eight organizations had standing at the inquest, including the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg, which recommended making family support an integral part of the rehabilitation and reintegration process for individuals with mental health issues.
"It's our hope at the end of the day that there will be more public conversation about the needs for those transitional services around increased community supports," Allison Fenske of the Public Interest Law Centre, who represented the two groups, said outside court.
Support needed for family members
The groups said they don't believe M.A.'s sister was given the support she needed to provide the necessary care.
"One of our recommendations speaks to the role that family and that kind of personal support network plays in a person's life and how important they are," Fenske said.
Fenske added that young indigenous women like M.A. are particularly vulnerable, especially in Manitoba.
"In addition to just general vulnerabilities, there's a heightened vulnerability where you're having someone transitioning from the criminal justice system back into the community," she said.
"Our recommendations were really aimed at making sure that young indigenous women coming out of a custodial facility — a jail — and coming into the community are best supported in ways to try and ensure their future success."
The judge overseeing the inquest has six months to prepare a report with recommendations.
Any recommendations that are given will be considered when it comes to changing the implementation of IRCS sentences and preventing similar tragedies from happening in the future.
Only 15 IRCS sentences have been given to young offenders with mental illness in Manitoba since 2003. The sentences are under federal legislation but administered through the provinces.