St. John's convict shouldn't see HMP psychiatrist, says judge

A provincial Supreme Court Justice delivered a surprising rebuke to Newfoundland and Labrador's correctional system.

Earlier this week, when Justice Wayne Dymond sentenced a man with mental illness, he ordered that he should not be referred to the psychiatrist at Her Majesty's Penitentiary.

Dymond ordered that Edward Taylor, a former prison guard and convicted drug trafficker, should continue to see his own psychiatrist and continue to receive medications for bi-polar disorder and depression that he was prescribed before he was convicted.

"Personally I think it's a good decision … I think it's a great decision," said Mark Gruchy, a defense lawyer and critic of psychiatric services at the penitentiary. He said he's heard repeated complaints that inmates are being taken off prescriptions they were given before they were convicted.

Gruchy says the strategy causes needless suffering.

"Prison is a depressing environment for a so-called normal person. It's shocking in the extreme for a person who's already predisposed to depression, and who has that one stabilizing thing taken away from them. It can throw them into despair," he said.

In his sentencing the judge went on to say prison authorities must be clear of their responsibilities to provide proper mental health services.

It's a rare criticism from the bench, but welcomed by the province's ombudsman and citizen's representative, Barry Fleming.

He says the psychiatrist at Her Majesty's Penitentiary, Dr. David Craig, should be removed.

"It's his perception, that basically, as a society, we're probably too reliant upon prescription drugs. Now that might all be well and true, but ultimately a discussion about the level of prescription drug use in our society should not take place at HMP," he said.

Last March, the provincial justice minister did order a peer review of Craig’s work at the penitentiary.

On Friday, Justice department officials said that review had not started yet.