Inquest wraps up in the death of an American man at the Niagara Detention Centre

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The inquest into the death of an American man who killed himself at the Niagara Detention Centre two years ago has wrapped up. The inquest lasted four days and heard from a number of witnesses including a forensic psychiatry expert. The five member jury delivered four recommendations in order to prevent similar deaths in the future.

It was described as a rapidly developing suicide plan, one that couldn’t have been predicted nor prevented. 43 year old Joseph Charles Dunn had fled from Georgia where he was wanted on charges of child cruelty in connection with the death of his 20-month-old foster son and tried to make a refugee claim with his wife and family in Fort Erie.

On his 4th day at the Niagara Detention Centre, things took a turn. Dunn finished an immigration detention review where he was told about the appeal process. Shortly after he began to pen two letters, one to his parents and the other to his wife. In one of the notes he writes “I am sorry that I am so weak, but I can’t go through it all again. I will be coming home, but not the way yall wanted.”

Minutes later Dunn went into a shower stall where he hanged himself using a torn bed sheet. He was found by another inmate and taken to hospital where he died 5 days later.

The jury heard that Dunn showed no warning signs. He passed a suicide check list, which all inmates take when they arrive at the detention centre and he was not on suicide watch because he was not considered to be a risk.

Among the 5-person jury’s recommendations is to ensure medical information is consistently shared between the Canadian border services agency and correctional institutions and any changes in suicidal behaviour should be brought up immediately.

According to correctional service Canada, suicide is the leading cause of death in Canadian prisons.