Family of Mi'kmaw mother who died in custody call for public inquiry
CBC
Family and friends say Sarah Rose Denny was full of life and they want a public inquiry to find out why the 36-year-old died after being held in the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility.
They say the Mi'kmaw mother of two contracted pneumonia in what is commonly known as the Burnside jail in Dartmouth and say she should never have been there in the first place. The Department of Justice confirmed an inmate died of natural causes last Sunday after being transferred to the local hospital.
Her obituary says Denny was active, loved fitness and once won a triathlon in Eskasoni, earning her the name the Iron Woman.
"She was such a shining light," said Emma Halpern, executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia. "She was a very, very bright, articulate, thoughtful person."
Halpern said Denny often spoke up for other women in jail and was known for looking out for others.
Denny had addiction issues, but better community health care would help keep Indigenous people like her out of jail, said Halpern.
"She shouldn't have been in jail. It's not the right place and this is just a horrific example of what happens when someone is put into a prison ... and is failed by our health-care system, our mental-health-care systems and ultimately our justice system."
CBC has not confirmed why Denny was in custody.
Halpern said the Nova Scotia government needs to hold a public inquiry any time there's a death in custody.
"Many other provinces do have mandatory reviews," she said. "We do not and as a result, we don't know exactly what happened. The family doesn't know exactly what happened and if we don't know what happened, how can we learn from it?"
Shirley Tuplin of Membertou grew up with Denny and said she is heartbroken over her cousin's death.
"She'd tell jokes all the time," Tuplin said. "She was very easy to talk to, very outgoing. She was a people person, you know?"
Tuplin has spent some time in jail in Western Canada and is now proudly sober five years and an Indigenous peer support worker with the Elizabeth Fry Society in Nova Scotia.
Maintaining good health is very difficult behind bars, she said.
