Ashley Smith : Out of Control (2010) - the fifth estate

00:41:22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yryXNq00_c0

Zusammenfassung

TLDRThe video covers the tragic story of Ashley Smith, a teenager with mental health issues who was mistreated in the Canadian prison system. Through disturbing footage and personal accounts, it reveals how Ashley, initially a troubled young girl, was repeatedly subjected to solitary confinement and restraints without receiving adequate mental health treatment. It explores the systemic failures in the justice and correctional systems that led to her worsening condition and eventual death by suicide while under surveillance by prison guards. The investigative piece uncovers the directives given to guards, the cover-up efforts, and the lack of accountability among senior officials, highlighting broader concerns about the treatment of mentally ill inmates in Canada. It serves as a grim reminder of the need for reform in addressing mental health within the correctional system.

Mitbringsel

  • ๐Ÿ“น Disturbing footage shows how Ashley Smith was treated in prison, shedding light on inmate mistreatment.
  • ๐Ÿšจ Ashley's repeated solitary confinement and self-harm were not addressed with proper mental health care.
  • ๐Ÿ‘ฎโ€โ™‚๏ธ Guards were instructed not to intervene in self-harm, raising questions on prison protocols.
  • ๐Ÿง  Mental health assessment and treatment were inadequate for Ashley, leading to tragic consequences.
  • ๐Ÿ“‹ Systemic failure in the correctional system highlighted by Ashley's prolonged solitary confinement.
  • ๐Ÿšช Ashley was transferred 17 times without meaningful psychological help, starting her 60-day segregation clock over each time.
  • โš–๏ธ Calls for reform in corrections grow louder after airing the injustice faced by mentally ill inmates.
  • ๐Ÿ” The Fifth Estate reveals cover-ups; families and advocates push for the release of footage to the public.
  • ๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Guards were scapegoated for greater systemic issues, with charges against them later dropped.
  • ๐Ÿšฉ Ashley Smith's case became emblematic for highlighting the gaps in Canadaโ€™s mental health and correctional systems.

Zeitleiste

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The video highlights the harsh realities of prison life for inmates with mental health issues, specifically focusing on Ashley Smith, a troubled teenager who never received the help she needed. Despite coming from a caring home, Ashley began to act out in her teens and fell into the judicial system after minor offenses. The Fifth Estate reveals disturbing footage of institutional mistreatment, including the use of pepper spray, and chronicles Ashley's tragic journey into the correctional system where she was met with neglect instead of aid.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Ashley Smith experienced a troubled adolescence, exhibiting behavioral issues that led to numerous encounters with the juvenile court. Her parents sought help for her learning disabilities, but no mental illness was identified. A minor act of defiance involving a mailman led to her first step into the correctional system at a young age. The documentary outlines the inadequacies of the system to address her mental health needs, relying instead on punitive measures.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Upon entering the New Brunswick Youth Center, Ashley was confronted with the harsh and demeaning procedures, such as strip searches and isolation referred to as 'therapeutic quiet' that were anything but. Her defiance and inability to conform to the rigid and punitive environment led to numerous confrontations with staff. The system, designed more for punishment than rehabilitation, failed to provide the care Ashley needed, exacerbating her mental health condition.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    Ashley's disruptive behavior continued, leading to harsh penalties including solitary confinement. Her actions, misinterpreted as merely rebellious behavior, were in fact cries for help. Correctional staff reacted with force rather than empathy, even when she attempted self-harm. The systemโ€™s lack of appropriate mental health intervention culminated in increasing isolation and punitive measures that worsened her condition rather than offering the therapy she required.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    Ashley's repeated self-harm attempts were met with more forceful restraint techniques, including the use of a 'rack' to immobilize her. The video reveals that Ashley was not suicidal but sought attention and human interaction in a setting devoid of meaningful contact or understanding. The correctional officers were unprepared for inmates with her specific needs, and their modus operandi was geared towards containment, not healing or rehabilitation.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    After three years in solitary, Ashley was moved to an adult prison, further isolating her from meaningful psychological support. Although promised mental health care in the adult system, Ashley continued to be neglected, leading to worsening distress and self-injurious behavior. Her transfer was motivated more by institutional convenience than her well-being, reflecting a systemic failure to provide therapeutic support for inmates with severe mental health issues.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:00

    The documentary exposes how the system shuffled Ashley between institutions to bypass regulations that could have led to better mental health evaluations and care. Her sustained isolation compounded her mental health deterioration, yet the bureaucratic system viewed her as a difficult inmate rather than a person in need of help. The lack of a compassionate, comprehensive approach to her case resulted in repeated failures and neglect.

  • 00:35:00 - 00:41:22

    Ashley Smith's tragic death occurred under negligent supervision, where guards, following orders, delayed intervening even as she endangered herself, culminating in her death. The documentary highlights a broader issue of over-reliance on segregation for managing inmates with mental health issues, pointing to systemic flaws within the correctional facilities. Ashley's story is emblematic of the devastating consequences when institutions fail to address the root causes of self-destructive behavior.

Mehr anzeigen

Mind Map

Video-Fragen und Antworten

  • Who was Ashley Smith?

    Ashley Smith was a young girl with mental health and behavioral issues who was incarcerated in Canadian youth and adult prison systems.

  • What happened to Ashley Smith in prison?

    Ashley Smith was repeatedly placed in solitary confinement, often restrained, and inadequately treated for her mental health issues. She died by suicide in her cell under the watch of guards.

  • What mental health care did Ashley Smith receive in prison?

    Ashley Smith did not receive adequate mental health care while in prison, despite frequently showing signs of distress and self-harm tendencies.

  • What controversy surrounded Ashley Smith's death?

    The controversy lies in the prison's handling of her, including the use of restraints, tasers, and solitary confinement, as well as guards failing to intervene when she was choking herself.

  • What challenges did the guards face dealing with Ashley Smith?

    Guards faced challenges in dealing with Ashley's frequent self-harm behaviors and were reportedly instructed not to intervene immediately, leading to questions about directives from higher-ups.

  • Was anyone held accountable for Ashley Smith's death?

    Some prison staff faced disciplinary actions, but higher-ups were criticized for systemic failures. Charges against several guards were eventually dropped.

  • What failures did the Ashley Smith case illustrate?

    The case illustrated failures in Canada's correctional system to address mental health needs and highlighted systemic issues leading to her prolonged solitary confinement.

  • How did the public become aware of Ashley Smith's case?

    Through investigative journalism, including a report by the Fifth Estate, which revealed videos and documents about Ashley's treatment in prison.

  • What impact did Ashley Smith's story have?

    Her story raised awareness about the treatment of inmates with mental health issues and spurred calls for reform in Canada's correctional system.

  • Why was Ashley initially incarcerated?

    Ashley Smith was incarcerated initially due to minor offenses escalated by behavioral issues, leading to her being caught in the criminal justice system.

Weitere Video-Zusammenfassungen anzeigen

Erhalten Sie sofortigen Zugang zu kostenlosen YouTube-Videozusammenfassungen, die von AI unterstรผtzt werden!
Untertitel
en
Automatisches Blรคttern:
  • 00:00:04
    [Music]
  • 00:00:09
    [Music]
  • 00:00:13
    Prison is about submission and
  • 00:00:16
    compliance this is no place for teenage
  • 00:00:20
    defiance the Fifth Estate has obtained
  • 00:00:30
    this video shot by prison staff we
  • 00:00:34
    received it with guards faces obscured
  • 00:00:36
    and voices altered
  • 00:00:44
    they've blasted her cell with pepper
  • 00:00:47
    spray it's just another day in the life
  • 00:01:12
    of inmate Ashley Smith
  • 00:01:28
    [Music]
  • 00:01:47
    tonight we go behind the walls right
  • 00:01:51
    into the cell to see what the jailers do
  • 00:01:53
    not want you to know I'm Hana Gartner
  • 00:01:56
    this is the fifth estate we have
  • 00:01:59
    obtained a prison videotape that we are
  • 00:02:01
    making public for the first time and I
  • 00:02:03
    caution you the images are disturbing in
  • 00:02:06
    the language is raw but it exposes just
  • 00:02:10
    how kids with mental health and
  • 00:02:12
    behavioral problems are treated behind
  • 00:02:15
    bars in this country this is the
  • 00:02:17
    desperate journey of inmate Ashley Smith
  • 00:02:20
    a troubled young girl who cried out for
  • 00:02:23
    help and never got it she may be unusual
  • 00:02:27
    but her story is not unique
  • 00:02:33
    and it begins not as you might predict
  • 00:02:36
    but in a nice neat home with parents who
  • 00:02:39
    really care
  • 00:02:41
    she had one home visit which was for a
  • 00:02:44
    day and then she was released twice but
  • 00:02:48
    it only lasts around 24 hours this is
  • 00:02:51
    her room this is not this is an Ashley
  • 00:02:54
    grown-up room this is what she would
  • 00:02:56
    have had coming home we've got 400 dolls
  • 00:03:00
    someone said oh she wasn't a girly girly
  • 00:03:03
    girl to play with dolls so this is her
  • 00:03:06
    doll collection
  • 00:03:07
    a mother shrine to the sweet playful
  • 00:03:11
    girl she adopted when Ashley was only
  • 00:03:13
    five days old the child she wants to
  • 00:03:17
    remember and looking around this room
  • 00:03:19
    there is not one clue to how everything
  • 00:03:22
    went so terribly wrong yep well since
  • 00:03:31
    you okay yes you come up here I come in
  • 00:03:37
    and dust and clean a bit go look my
  • 00:03:41
    favorite spot
  • 00:03:44
    Ashley's photograph doesn't give any
  • 00:03:47
    hints either not the face of a tough
  • 00:03:49
    street kid and she wasn't one as a
  • 00:03:51
    little girl growing up in Moncton New
  • 00:03:53
    Brunswick
  • 00:03:54
    but then Ashley began to change her
  • 00:03:58
    father herb remembers when the trouble
  • 00:04:00
    started trouble started well what'd she
  • 00:04:05
    get oh I'd say about 14 13 14 years old
  • 00:04:11
    by grade 8 Ashley was failing and she
  • 00:04:15
    was regularly getting expelled for being
  • 00:04:17
    defiant disrespectful and disruptive she
  • 00:04:21
    was breaking the rules she walked out
  • 00:04:23
    she wasn't going to class yes and it
  • 00:04:25
    made it hard at home to
  • 00:04:27
    in what way well when she come home and
  • 00:04:31
    the mother had asked her how come she
  • 00:04:32
    came home and she would say well I got
  • 00:04:35
    kicked out for no reason at all and it's
  • 00:04:37
    always somebody else's home it seems the
  • 00:04:40
    only thing Ashley was good at was being
  • 00:04:43
    bad
  • 00:04:44
    she committed so many minor offenses
  • 00:04:47
    that she was in and out of youth court
  • 00:04:49
    more than a dozen times so what was
  • 00:04:52
    going on what was going with Ashley with
  • 00:04:56
    Ashley she was just I would say on the
  • 00:05:03
    verge of being out of control
  • 00:05:04
    we hired a child psychologist like we
  • 00:05:08
    did what we thought we were we did what
  • 00:05:11
    we thought we were supposed to do Ashley
  • 00:05:14
    had been diagnosed with learning
  • 00:05:16
    disabilities but there had been no real
  • 00:05:18
    follow-up and that psychologist Coralie
  • 00:05:21
    hired did not identify mental illness
  • 00:05:24
    just behavioral issues impulsivity not
  • 00:05:27
    understanding consequences and all that
  • 00:05:30
    came to a head the day she had the
  • 00:05:33
    run-in with the mailman apparently there
  • 00:05:37
    was somebody in the neighborhood saying
  • 00:05:38
    the welfare checks weren't coming in and
  • 00:05:40
    she said oh they're not well all speed
  • 00:05:43
    him up her where's that effect there
  • 00:05:45
    were kids there were other kids with her
  • 00:05:47
    there were she wasn't there alone so
  • 00:05:50
    they threw cattle crabapples at him and
  • 00:05:52
    of course you're assaulting your public
  • 00:05:53
    employee I mean you just so that's what
  • 00:05:56
    gutters are the first step on the road
  • 00:05:59
    to incarceration crabapples crabapples
  • 00:06:07
    already on probation for trespassing and
  • 00:06:10
    causing a disturbance at the mall ashley
  • 00:06:12
    was sentenced to a juvenile detention
  • 00:06:14
    center in Miramichi the two-hour drive
  • 00:06:17
    from home the New Brunswick youth center
  • 00:06:20
    describes itself as a safe and secure
  • 00:06:23
    environment for you
  • 00:06:24
    age 12 to 17 this is a youth center
  • 00:06:28
    primarily and so the the focus was
  • 00:06:31
    therapeutic
  • 00:06:33
    New Brunswick Ombudsman and child
  • 00:06:35
    advocate Donald Rashad what we're seeing
  • 00:06:38
    more and more and both in the adult
  • 00:06:40
    system and in the Youth Center is a
  • 00:06:44
    growing number of kids who are
  • 00:06:47
    manifesting mental health problems
  • 00:06:53
    behavior disorders
  • 00:06:55
    we're using our prison system as a
  • 00:06:58
    de-facto
  • 00:06:59
    mental health facility first day ever at
  • 00:07:10
    the Youth Center when you first walk in
  • 00:07:15
    they strip-search you okay so she was
  • 00:07:18
    like 14 13 14 first day there and
  • 00:07:21
    they're telling her take her clothes off
  • 00:07:23
    Jessica Fair was in the cell next to
  • 00:07:25
    Ashley's she was doing time for running
  • 00:07:28
    away from a group home and was a little
  • 00:07:30
    more streetwise than Ashley obviously
  • 00:07:33
    she got scared did they explain anything
  • 00:07:35
    to her
  • 00:07:35
    and she refused to do it so from the
  • 00:07:37
    second that she got in there that she
  • 00:07:38
    got tackled and thrown in the hole TQ TQ
  • 00:07:41
    yeah it's supposed to be therapeutic
  • 00:07:43
    quiet time therapy it's not very
  • 00:07:46
    therapeutic though you're in a cell for
  • 00:07:48
    like five days like they can shut off
  • 00:07:52
    one day what 60
  • 00:07:57
    no time they opened her cell door for
  • 00:08:00
    the first couple weeks she'd attack them
  • 00:08:03
    cuz she didn't know what to expect she's
  • 00:08:07
    just a baby in there jessica says apart
  • 00:08:10
    from anger management and drug addiction
  • 00:08:13
    counseling there were no programs and
  • 00:08:15
    few activities but there was one aspect
  • 00:08:19
    of life in the youth center they became
  • 00:08:21
    very familiar with security procedures
  • 00:08:24
    they'll tell you the procedure can heal
  • 00:08:27
    up your bunk your face against the wall
  • 00:08:29
    I was behind your back come in look cuff
  • 00:08:32
    yeah I get footage shackles on you you
  • 00:08:35
    leave yourself they say they're always
  • 00:08:37
    supposed to keep you in for
  • 00:08:38
    I think four hours there's a lot of
  • 00:08:41
    times boomer ends left in it all night
  • 00:08:42
    long what confuses me on the one hand
  • 00:08:52
    you say it's a therapeutic environment
  • 00:08:54
    where what the youngest kid is 12 years
  • 00:08:56
    old and where in the end it really is
  • 00:08:58
    just a jail in fact they would call
  • 00:09:01
    segregation therapeutic quiet
  • 00:09:03
    which which I really I became quite
  • 00:09:07
    upset over the use of that term because
  • 00:09:09
    I think it's a softening of very hard
  • 00:09:12
    reality and and and doublespeak Ashley
  • 00:09:17
    just called it the hole it's where she
  • 00:09:20
    and her friend Jessica were spending 23
  • 00:09:23
    hours a day
  • 00:09:28
    how did the two of you make time pass
  • 00:09:31
    annoying the guards annoying the guards
  • 00:09:34
    this was the kick yeah why was she
  • 00:09:42
    provoking everybody so much she just she
  • 00:09:48
    was in there so long and it was quite
  • 00:09:50
    entertaining to get them going as people
  • 00:09:54
    that she didn't like that was working
  • 00:09:55
    and stuff just to make him crazy
  • 00:09:57
    drive just to give him a hard time yeah
  • 00:10:00
    yeah look if she thought she was in
  • 00:10:02
    there for a stupid reason and if it
  • 00:10:05
    didn't make sense to her then she was
  • 00:10:07
    gonna make their their shift hell she
  • 00:10:10
    was even in solitary guards had trouble
  • 00:10:17
    controlling Ashley she managed to
  • 00:10:19
    accumulate eight hundred documented
  • 00:10:22
    incidents from covering her cell window
  • 00:10:24
    with feces - simply refusing to hand
  • 00:10:27
    over a hairbrush
  • 00:10:29
    [Music]
  • 00:10:36
    three warnings they're up again three
  • 00:10:39
    times kneel on the bottom bunk and when
  • 00:10:46
    Ashley didn't get her way she up the
  • 00:10:49
    ante and pretend to strangle herself so
  • 00:10:53
    Ashley with wrap something around her
  • 00:10:55
    neck cuz in TQ you have a camera on you
  • 00:10:57
    24/7 right so the people would obviously
  • 00:11:00
    see it and they'd come down and see
  • 00:11:01
    what's probably what this is a really
  • 00:11:05
    dangerous game yeah but she so I was
  • 00:11:08
    laugh about it because she said they're
  • 00:11:10
    stupid cuz they could clearly see it
  • 00:11:11
    hanging down like I was never tight she
  • 00:11:15
    always told me that she didn't want to
  • 00:11:16
    die and she's a laugh that they thought
  • 00:11:18
    she was suicidal for correctional
  • 00:11:27
    officers this was no joke
  • 00:11:29
    in this footage obtained by the Fifth
  • 00:11:32
    Estate a guard decides Ashley's repeated
  • 00:11:35
    attempts to choke herself call for a
  • 00:11:38
    tactical response I feel this is very
  • 00:11:42
    virus all
  • 00:11:45
    Smith she said she's not talking
  • 00:11:48
    discontinued so I think we're going to
  • 00:11:49
    go to the next step
  • 00:11:58
    [Music]
  • 00:12:17
    in order to immobilize Ashley guards
  • 00:12:20
    strapped her into a cocoon like device
  • 00:12:23
    they call the rack
  • 00:12:35
    [Music]
  • 00:12:43
    this is Ashley's first time in the rap
  • 00:12:46
    but it won't be her last
  • 00:12:54
    [Music]
  • 00:13:03
    so
  • 00:13:13
    No
  • 00:13:18
    [Music]
  • 00:13:25
    they're forced to lie in our story
  • 00:14:00
    continues when we return actually was
  • 00:14:04
    tasered twice in the space of one month
  • 00:14:07
    repeatedly that was the response to her
  • 00:14:10
    behaviors after almost three years in
  • 00:14:19
    solitary confinement at the New
  • 00:14:21
    Brunswick youth center eighteen-year-old
  • 00:14:24
    Ashley Smith has been moved to an adult
  • 00:14:27
    prison alone and despondent she writes
  • 00:14:32
    in her diary if I die then I will never
  • 00:14:36
    have to worry about upsetting my mom
  • 00:14:38
    again
  • 00:14:41
    during a Christmas visit with Ashley
  • 00:14:43
    Coralie was horrified to see the scars
  • 00:14:46
    on her daughter's arms
  • 00:14:48
    Ashley was cutting herself I don't
  • 00:14:54
    understand how you can be segregated and
  • 00:14:56
    still be scurrying and damaging yourself
  • 00:14:58
    as bad as you were and nobody saying
  • 00:15:00
    well you know this is getting worse this
  • 00:15:02
    is not getting better you and I know
  • 00:15:04
    it's a cry for help they didn't treat it
  • 00:15:06
    just so whatever Ashley's psychological
  • 00:15:23
    problems this New Brunswick prison video
  • 00:15:26
    shows the treatment she got yes she's in
  • 00:15:31
    her cell naked but the guards believe
  • 00:15:34
    she has hidden a shoelace and intends to
  • 00:15:36
    choke herself
  • 00:15:37
    [Music]
  • 00:15:45
    armed with Tasers guards fire or warning
  • 00:15:48
    shot
  • 00:15:54
    no one
  • 00:16:01
    Ashley was tasered twice in the space of
  • 00:16:04
    one month repeatedly that was the
  • 00:16:08
    response to her behaviors New
  • 00:16:11
    Brunswick's Ombudsman investigated how
  • 00:16:13
    youth with behavioral problems are
  • 00:16:16
    treated in custody in Bernardo Rashad's
  • 00:16:19
    opinion prison made Ashley worse I think
  • 00:16:23
    someone should have clued in that this
  • 00:16:26
    girl required much more professional
  • 00:16:29
    help
  • 00:16:34
    knowing knew how to handle Ashley
  • 00:16:37
    because knowing you what was wrong with
  • 00:16:39
    her in all the time she was at the youth
  • 00:16:41
    center she never had a comprehensive
  • 00:16:43
    mental health assessment all they could
  • 00:17:06
    do for Ashley was restrain her and give
  • 00:17:09
    her more prison time a one-month
  • 00:17:11
    sentence had stretched into more than
  • 00:17:14
    three years and it was taking a toll on
  • 00:17:16
    Ashley's mental health but her life was
  • 00:17:20
    about to change
  • 00:17:21
    the decision had been made to move her
  • 00:17:24
    to a federal penitentiary why did the
  • 00:17:27
    superintendent of the New Brunswick
  • 00:17:29
    Youth Center apply to have Ashley
  • 00:17:31
    transferred to the adult prisoner he
  • 00:17:35
    didn't have to do that without question
  • 00:17:37
    they were at wit's end the I think
  • 00:17:42
    really felt that she might be able to
  • 00:17:44
    get more help in the federal system than
  • 00:17:48
    they did he think she would get more
  • 00:17:50
    help in the federal system or did he
  • 00:17:51
    just want her out of his air well
  • 00:17:53
    without a doubt he wanted her out of his
  • 00:17:55
    hair I mean she was she monopolized a
  • 00:17:59
    lot of his resources and before she was
  • 00:18:02
    transferred they allowed me to win the
  • 00:18:04
    cell with her and she was just
  • 00:18:06
    devastated she was just shaking crying
  • 00:18:10
    she was devastated
  • 00:18:13
    but Coralie was still hopeful Canada's
  • 00:18:17
    Correctional Service is after all the
  • 00:18:19
    largest employer of psychologists in the
  • 00:18:21
    country they claim access to the world's
  • 00:18:24
    most renowned experts this is a healing
  • 00:18:27
    environment is what Coralie was told
  • 00:18:31
    they promise to take care of her
  • 00:18:34
    all along all along will take care of
  • 00:18:38
    her we'll take care of her we'll look
  • 00:18:40
    after her of the three women's
  • 00:18:44
    penitentiaries Ashley would do time in
  • 00:18:46
    Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener
  • 00:18:49
    Ontario is the biggest built with female
  • 00:18:52
    inmates in mind it has a more homey look
  • 00:18:55
    and offers a mental health program
  • 00:18:57
    tailored especially to women it's the
  • 00:19:00
    kind of help Ashley could have used but
  • 00:19:03
    the warden locked her in segregation the
  • 00:19:05
    minute she got here Corrections Canada
  • 00:19:08
    cancelled our interview with grand
  • 00:19:10
    Valley's current warden
  • 00:19:12
    they sent senior advisor Dan Erickson to
  • 00:19:15
    talk to us on the condition we do not
  • 00:19:18
    ask about Ashley Smith segregation isn't
  • 00:19:22
    punitive one thing about Corrections
  • 00:19:24
    it's all about human relations and human
  • 00:19:26
    relationships how we do that helps
  • 00:19:30
    individuals so that people can be helped
  • 00:19:33
    to recover from some of the problems
  • 00:19:37
    that they may that they may have theirs
  • 00:19:39
    for segregation cells in this unit and
  • 00:19:42
    we'll just take a look at one of the
  • 00:19:44
    cells that we have opened right now so
  • 00:19:47
    this is a segregation cell with a
  • 00:19:50
    closable window and a food slot
  • 00:19:57
    so this would be a typical segregation
  • 00:20:01
    cell in most institutions except it
  • 00:20:03
    usually would probably would be square
  • 00:20:04
    you'll be visited by a nurse every day
  • 00:20:07
    you'll be visited by a correctional
  • 00:20:09
    manager or a probe role officer or
  • 00:20:12
    psychologist and the other times you'll
  • 00:20:16
    be either watching TV or reading or
  • 00:20:19
    doing other activities she didn't have
  • 00:20:21
    anything to do in herself she had
  • 00:20:23
    indicated that she had been out without
  • 00:20:25
    a mattress often that she'd been denied
  • 00:20:27
    at times even toilet paper when she was
  • 00:20:30
    menstruating she'd been denied access to
  • 00:20:31
    adequate you know hygiene products heme
  • 00:20:35
    pate is the head of the Elizabeth Fry
  • 00:20:37
    Society a national organization
  • 00:20:40
    advocating for women in prison the first
  • 00:20:44
    time I met with her was just through the
  • 00:20:46
    mail spot so what did what did this cell
  • 00:20:49
    look like what did she have in there
  • 00:20:50
    well she had nothing both times I saw
  • 00:20:53
    she had nothing in herself this is how
  • 00:20:56
    Ashley would spend the next year of her
  • 00:20:58
    life in various federal prisons across
  • 00:21:00
    this country well she would sleep on the
  • 00:21:03
    floor are usually that's what she'd
  • 00:21:04
    report she was using her security gown
  • 00:21:07
    to try and wrap tightly around her and
  • 00:21:09
    other women said she was saying she was
  • 00:21:11
    picking the tiles off the floor in the
  • 00:21:12
    hopes that they'd replace it with carpet
  • 00:21:14
    so she can sleep
  • 00:21:16
    so she's 1819
  • 00:21:20
    years old she's in segregation locked
  • 00:21:22
    into a cell 23 hours out of every 24
  • 00:21:26
    Howard ciphers is convinced isolating
  • 00:21:29
    inmates with mental disorders is unsafe
  • 00:21:32
    and inhumane
  • 00:21:33
    he's the federally appointed
  • 00:21:35
    correctional investigator why would you
  • 00:21:39
    think that
  • 00:21:39
    that in Canada that the best our
  • 00:21:42
    correctional service could offer a
  • 00:21:44
    mentally ill young woman was an
  • 00:21:46
    isolation cell if you are already acting
  • 00:21:48
    out if you're already into self-injury
  • 00:21:50
    if you have suicidal ideation that
  • 00:21:53
    isolation is not the place for you to be
  • 00:21:57
    that is where she served her entire
  • 00:22:00
    sentence defiant as ever and just like
  • 00:22:04
    in the New Brunswick youth center this
  • 00:22:06
    all had to be documented and videotaped
  • 00:22:13
    Canada's Correctional Service fought to
  • 00:22:16
    prevent us from showing you these tape
  • 00:22:26
    we have to get a court order to make
  • 00:22:28
    this public I never did see the
  • 00:22:31
    videotape I can't speak for that but
  • 00:22:33
    what I can tell you is that on numerous
  • 00:22:35
    occasions and it's well documented that
  • 00:22:37
    these officers went in and save this
  • 00:22:39
    woman's life Ontario guards union
  • 00:22:49
    president Jason Gordon ah so they
  • 00:22:52
    allowed her a television set what did
  • 00:22:53
    she do she basically took everything you
  • 00:22:55
    know the pieces from that television set
  • 00:22:57
    used them as weapons she would suitcase
  • 00:22:59
    glass what does that mean
  • 00:23:01
    she would she would put glass in her
  • 00:23:03
    body cavities glass
  • 00:23:05
    yes glass in her hair and in any one of
  • 00:23:07
    her body cavities and she would use that
  • 00:23:08
    against correctional officers when they
  • 00:23:10
    when they came in the cell she also used
  • 00:23:12
    the glass to cut strips from her prison
  • 00:23:14
    gown Ashley was strangling herself often
  • 00:23:18
    several times a day sometimes Ashley
  • 00:23:20
    Smith would would would fake dying so
  • 00:23:25
    she would just lay on the floor and then
  • 00:23:27
    of course there would come a point in
  • 00:23:28
    time they would have to go in because
  • 00:23:29
    she was unresponsive so that so they
  • 00:23:32
    would go in the cell and at that point
  • 00:23:33
    she might jump right up and assault them
  • 00:23:35
    with a piece of glass or or try to hit
  • 00:23:37
    them or whatever so it was it was a very
  • 00:23:38
    very difficult situation to be in there
  • 00:23:42
    was nothing in there 12 weeks of
  • 00:23:44
    training that prepared guards for an
  • 00:23:46
    inmate like Ashley Smith the sad truth
  • 00:23:49
    is is that in our experience we've seen
  • 00:23:53
    those things happen with other inmates
  • 00:23:56
    so why the Correctional Service
  • 00:23:59
    continues to do the same thing and
  • 00:24:01
    expect different results it confounds me
  • 00:24:08
    of course on this a Shannon Smith it's
  • 00:24:11
    August 31st is 9:05 p.m. every time this
  • 00:24:17
    happened it had to be written up as a
  • 00:24:19
    use-of-force report great has been used
  • 00:24:23
    actually generated a hundred and fifty
  • 00:24:26
    of them at Grand Valley she set a prison
  • 00:24:29
    record every time that there was one of
  • 00:24:33
    these security incidents there would be
  • 00:24:35
    a posting made in a daily report a daily
  • 00:24:39
    situation report which is circulated
  • 00:24:41
    broadly throughout the senior management
  • 00:24:42
    at the Correctional Service and who does
  • 00:24:44
    all gets that well so ever you well as I
  • 00:24:47
    say it's the this the management to the
  • 00:24:49
    Correctional Services all the way to
  • 00:24:51
    Ottawa all the way to all the way to the
  • 00:24:54
    top when you issue those use of force
  • 00:24:58
    reports it should trigger the
  • 00:24:59
    correctional investigator knowing about
  • 00:25:01
    it national headquarters at Correctional
  • 00:25:02
    Services knowing about it and should
  • 00:25:04
    trigger someone saying what is going on
  • 00:25:06
    here
  • 00:25:09
    Canada's Correctional Service was
  • 00:25:11
    concerned about the number of use of
  • 00:25:14
    force reports coming out of Grand Valley
  • 00:25:16
    didn't make them look good they decided
  • 00:25:19
    to do something about it we have learned
  • 00:25:21
    the warden ordered staff to alter
  • 00:25:24
    documents to downplay minimize the
  • 00:25:26
    guards use of force and the Fifth Estate
  • 00:25:29
    has obtained the management plan for
  • 00:25:31
    inmate a Smith in at the warden
  • 00:25:34
    instructs guards to avoid Ashley
  • 00:25:36
    completely to ignore her even if she is
  • 00:25:39
    choking herself CSC was worried about
  • 00:25:42
    their public image they were saying oh
  • 00:25:44
    geez you know too many use of force
  • 00:25:45
    incidents here so what CSC decided to do
  • 00:25:48
    was we're gonna give direction down the
  • 00:25:50
    line you know tell those members not to
  • 00:25:51
    intervene until she stops breathing
  • 00:25:53
    eventually our members were being told
  • 00:25:55
    look at if you go in that cell and you
  • 00:25:57
    go and use force to to take the ligature
  • 00:25:59
    off her neck you're going to be
  • 00:26:00
    disciplined you could be fired if the if
  • 00:26:02
    the direction was don't go in while
  • 00:26:06
    she's breathing that's what going when
  • 00:26:08
    she's dead well we're left asking
  • 00:26:11
    ourselves the same question why are why
  • 00:26:13
    is the direction coming down the line
  • 00:26:14
    not to go in and preserve her life
  • 00:26:18
    Ashley Smith was a time bomb waiting to
  • 00:26:21
    go off
  • 00:26:21
    [Music]
  • 00:26:25
    Ashley's story continues when we come
  • 00:26:28
    back I thought I actually was coming
  • 00:26:30
    home
  • 00:26:31
    I never thought Ashley was gonna die in
  • 00:26:34
    prison once her daughter was sent to the
  • 00:26:43
    federal prison system Coralie Smith
  • 00:26:45
    couldn't keep track of her Corrections
  • 00:26:48
    Canada transferred Ashley 17 times
  • 00:26:51
    between nine institutions in less than a
  • 00:26:55
    year last time I visited Ashley at Nova
  • 00:27:00
    her eyes were off I thought she was on
  • 00:27:03
    drugs she told me later she had lost
  • 00:27:05
    sight in one eye she looked like an aged
  • 00:27:08
    woman her hair was falling out in the 11
  • 00:27:11
    months that she was in the federal
  • 00:27:12
    system she lost 90 pounds Ashley was
  • 00:27:17
    strangling herself so often the veins in
  • 00:27:20
    her face had burst while she did see a
  • 00:27:23
    psychologist every day she was never
  • 00:27:26
    fully assess or meaningfully treated she
  • 00:27:29
    wasn't in one place long enough Ashley's
  • 00:27:34
    father wants to know where was that
  • 00:27:36
    psychological care Corrections Canada
  • 00:27:38
    promised they were supposed to give her
  • 00:27:41
    therapy and they were supposed to send
  • 00:27:42
    her to a psychiatrist which I don't
  • 00:27:44
    think they did they didn't do that they
  • 00:27:52
    just out of sight out of mind
  • 00:27:54
    leave her there and that's it
  • 00:27:57
    correctional investigator Howard sabers
  • 00:28:00
    points out that failure to provide care
  • 00:28:03
    is against the law so is keeping someone
  • 00:28:05
    in segregation indefinitely there's laws
  • 00:28:09
    about the mandatory review of placement
  • 00:28:13
    and segregation which is the the most
  • 00:28:16
    austere form of confinement in Canada
  • 00:28:20
    those laws around segregation around
  • 00:28:23
    mental health care around transfer were
  • 00:28:27
    not respected so
  • 00:28:30
    in Ashley Smith's case those laws were
  • 00:28:33
    broken yes Corrections Canada was
  • 00:28:37
    supposed to review Ashley's file after
  • 00:28:40
    she spent 60 days in segregation
  • 00:28:42
    well they got around that law with the
  • 00:28:45
    bureaucratic sleight of hand they just
  • 00:28:47
    moved her to another segregation cell in
  • 00:28:50
    another institution that way the 60-day
  • 00:28:53
    clock started all over again she was
  • 00:28:57
    moved from one segregation cell to
  • 00:28:58
    another to another to another and they
  • 00:29:00
    justified it how their own operational
  • 00:29:03
    requirements they felt that they had
  • 00:29:05
    exhausted themselves at a particular
  • 00:29:06
    place but they were giving themselves
  • 00:29:08
    respite so they offloaded her to
  • 00:29:10
    somebody else well they certainly moved
  • 00:29:13
    her and moved her frequently and they
  • 00:29:17
    did not move her according to the policy
  • 00:29:19
    requirements for for transfers one of
  • 00:29:23
    the few visitors actually was allowed
  • 00:29:25
    was prison advocate Kim and pate she
  • 00:29:30
    wanted someone to talk to she wanted
  • 00:29:31
    something to do she wanted to go home
  • 00:29:34
    she kept acting out she kept pushing
  • 00:29:37
    them pushing their buttons
  • 00:29:39
    she was the architect and sounds of her
  • 00:29:42
    own misfortune in some way well that's
  • 00:29:45
    certainly the image that the corrections
  • 00:29:48
    would want us to believe so I'm not
  • 00:29:50
    suggesting that Ashley or anybody else
  • 00:29:53
    in those situations is easy to deal with
  • 00:29:55
    but they're in the system that is well
  • 00:29:58
    resourced to meet to address those needs
  • 00:30:00
    and if they can't then there are
  • 00:30:02
    mechanisms that they could get her into
  • 00:30:03
    a mental hospital
  • 00:30:05
    did actually want to die do you think
  • 00:30:08
    when I saw Ashley I don't think she
  • 00:30:10
    wanted to die
  • 00:30:12
    I know that she was using the tying the
  • 00:30:14
    ligatures around her neck to just pass
  • 00:30:17
    out to sleep she was using it sometimes
  • 00:30:20
    because she knew staff would go in to
  • 00:30:21
    see her then and I can't imagine craving
  • 00:30:24
    human contact enough but I would do
  • 00:30:26
    something that I know is going to result
  • 00:30:28
    in a violent intervention saw Ashley I
  • 00:30:33
    asked a number of people to intervene
  • 00:30:35
    right up to the regional and national
  • 00:30:37
    level and to my knowledge nobody did
  • 00:30:41
    they just shuffled Ashley from one
  • 00:30:44
    prison to another monitoring her every
  • 00:30:48
    move
  • 00:30:48
    a prison camera will also be recording
  • 00:30:52
    and on the day she dies
  • 00:30:59
    knowing that you're watching somebody in
  • 00:31:01
    the last minutes of their life is very
  • 00:31:04
    difficult thing to do in the
  • 00:31:08
    correctional staff on-site at that time
  • 00:31:10
    of course they didn't know that they
  • 00:31:12
    didn't know that they were dealing with
  • 00:31:13
    somebody in the last moments of their
  • 00:31:14
    life it was horrible but I think I saw
  • 00:31:19
    it three times it's there I can see it
  • 00:31:21
    right now it's there is that why you
  • 00:31:23
    don't sleep at night yeah my things huh
  • 00:31:26
    you know but I don't dream about it
  • 00:31:29
    I don't have nightmares about Ashley I
  • 00:31:31
    don't have nightmares about Ashley
  • 00:31:33
    I have day mirrors yeah it's fixed there
  • 00:31:38
    forever totally wants the videotape of
  • 00:31:43
    her daughter's final moments made public
  • 00:31:46
    Corrections has fought her at every turn
  • 00:31:48
    but a judge has allowed the fifth the
  • 00:31:51
    state to view it and tell you what's on
  • 00:31:53
    it Grand Valley institution October 19
  • 00:31:58
    2007 a guard radios for help
  • 00:32:11
    is my belief that there's not a single
  • 00:32:14
    person that expected including Ashley
  • 00:32:18
    that expected Ashley Smith to die that
  • 00:32:22
    moment because she expected people to
  • 00:32:25
    come in and they didn't and they thought
  • 00:32:27
    it would be just another day at work
  • 00:32:31
    you can hear guards call Ashley's name
  • 00:32:34
    through the door she doesn't respond but
  • 00:32:37
    guards don't go into her cell the order
  • 00:32:40
    had come down
  • 00:32:41
    [Music]
  • 00:32:47
    [Music]
  • 00:33:01
    okay all right the protocol was very
  • 00:33:03
    clear
  • 00:33:04
    Jason Godin Ontario president of the
  • 00:33:07
    guards union insists they had no choice
  • 00:33:11
    our members were not to enter Ashley
  • 00:33:13
    Smith cell until she stopped breathing
  • 00:33:15
    there was a tremendous amount of
  • 00:33:17
    direction given a verbal direction to
  • 00:33:19
    all the members from all levels of
  • 00:33:21
    Management you're not going to go in the
  • 00:33:22
    cell until she stops breathing and if
  • 00:33:24
    you go in that cell you could suffer the
  • 00:33:26
    repercussions a disciplinary
  • 00:33:28
    investigation you could lose your job
  • 00:33:35
    [Applause]
  • 00:33:40
    suddenly stop reading it go ahead 12
  • 00:33:42
    minutes later Ashley is still not moving
  • 00:33:45
    they're talking about you know making
  • 00:33:48
    sure that certain people are present
  • 00:33:51
    that certain policies are being followed
  • 00:33:53
    that camera is running it's not running
  • 00:33:58
    at one point they do go in to the cell
  • 00:34:03
    then they and what do they do when
  • 00:34:05
    they're in the cell very little and they
  • 00:34:08
    went in and they come out and they went
  • 00:34:11
    in and they come out and nobody
  • 00:34:13
    approached her I mean this girl's down
  • 00:34:15
    on the floor what human beings do that
  • 00:34:20
    by the time guards cut the ligature and
  • 00:34:23
    realize Ashley is unconscious it's too
  • 00:34:27
    late
  • 00:34:28
    these were seven guards who fought
  • 00:34:31
    between 25 and 30 minutes watched a 19
  • 00:34:34
    year old girl kill herself those are
  • 00:34:37
    those officers took a choice and lose my
  • 00:34:40
    job
  • 00:34:41
    have somebody die in front of me they
  • 00:34:44
    didn't want to stand outside the cell
  • 00:34:46
    and watch her die either their
  • 00:34:49
    livelihood was threatened
  • 00:34:55
    I find myself in an immense difficulty
  • 00:35:04
    understanding it would you have gone in
  • 00:35:07
    what I've got in I've asked myself that
  • 00:35:10
    question could I put myself in their
  • 00:35:13
    shoes and what would I do for me knowing
  • 00:35:20
    that somebody's life is at risk and
  • 00:35:23
    they're just on the other side of a door
  • 00:35:25
    I think I would do everything in my
  • 00:35:26
    power to get through that door
  • 00:35:30
    after serving three years 11 months and
  • 00:35:34
    15 days inmate Ashley Smith is
  • 00:35:37
    pronounced dead at 8:10 a.m. who gave
  • 00:35:42
    that order Hana who gave the order don't
  • 00:35:45
    intervene if she's still breathing
  • 00:35:55
    I miss you
  • 00:36:05
    your mother said hello herb has been
  • 00:36:11
    coming to his daughter's grave every day
  • 00:36:13
    for two years ever since Ashley killed
  • 00:36:17
    herself in federal custody in front of
  • 00:36:19
    seven guards who did nothing to stop her
  • 00:36:24
    thinking about your loss
  • 00:36:36
    after Ashley's death grand Valley's
  • 00:36:38
    deputy warden and warden lost their jobs
  • 00:36:42
    a manager and three guards were also
  • 00:36:45
    fired and charged with criminal
  • 00:36:46
    negligence causing death union spokesman
  • 00:36:50
    Jason Godin believes his guards took the
  • 00:36:53
    fall for higher-ups were these guys
  • 00:36:56
    scapegoated absolutely they were escape
  • 00:36:58
    code advisers by senior management in
  • 00:37:00
    Correctional Services I used the term
  • 00:37:03
    they were thrown to the dogs they were
  • 00:37:05
    thrown to the wolves there was a
  • 00:37:07
    cover-up this union has made that very
  • 00:37:09
    clear since the very beginning there's
  • 00:37:11
    been a cover-up we blame solely the
  • 00:37:13
    administration we blame the federal
  • 00:37:15
    sentence women's sector we blame
  • 00:37:17
    Corrections Canada there was daily
  • 00:37:20
    Direction given right from the highest
  • 00:37:22
    levels of management all the way to the
  • 00:37:23
    frontline staff and we're not talking
  • 00:37:25
    once or twice we're talking every day
  • 00:37:26
    repeatedly you're not to go in the cell
  • 00:37:28
    this is your orders who gave that order
  • 00:37:30
    Hanna those are the questions we can't
  • 00:37:34
    bring Ashley back but those are the
  • 00:37:35
    questions who gave the order to keep
  • 00:37:37
    that child we're talking about a child
  • 00:37:39
    in the youth center segregated that
  • 00:37:41
    length of time who gave the order don't
  • 00:37:43
    intervene if she's still breathing
  • 00:37:50
    that's what no one wants to talk about
  • 00:37:53
    charges against the guards were dropped
  • 00:37:56
    they got their jobs back now none of
  • 00:37:59
    them wants to come on camera for
  • 00:38:01
    Canada's Correctional Service the case
  • 00:38:04
    is closed
  • 00:38:05
    the Ashley Smith case is a sad and
  • 00:38:09
    tragic one
  • 00:38:10
    in fact she probably never should have
  • 00:38:12
    ended up in a prison but it is a classic
  • 00:38:14
    model of the failure of our health care
  • 00:38:17
    system and then our correction system to
  • 00:38:20
    adequately care for the mentally ill in
  • 00:38:22
    society Peter van loan the minister
  • 00:38:26
    responsible for Canada's prison system
  • 00:38:28
    is satisfied Ashley's case was
  • 00:38:31
    thoroughly investigated and appropriate
  • 00:38:33
    action taken people were disciplined but
  • 00:38:37
    people are very low on the ladder
  • 00:38:39
    we're not wardens as well we're
  • 00:38:40
    suspended and disciplined and dismissed
  • 00:38:42
    right up to the top of the institution
  • 00:38:44
    so but where is the top who it's not
  • 00:38:48
    fair to say that discipline was only at
  • 00:38:50
    the bottom it was throughout the
  • 00:38:52
    institution so people paid consequences
  • 00:38:54
    for misconduct from that site did the
  • 00:38:57
    person say don't go into her cell while
  • 00:38:59
    she's I'm not gonna comment on any
  • 00:39:02
    specifics it might play into a lawsuit
  • 00:39:04
    though well clearly I wasn't in the
  • 00:39:06
    prison at the time I wasn't Minister at
  • 00:39:09
    the time so no but your best to talk to
  • 00:39:11
    Corrections Canada about those kinds of
  • 00:39:13
    details Corrections Canada refused any
  • 00:39:19
    interviews about Ashley Smith's
  • 00:39:21
    incarceration or her death since Ashley
  • 00:39:24
    died 17 more inmates have committed
  • 00:39:27
    suicide in federal custody
  • 00:39:29
    prison investigator Howard safer's
  • 00:39:32
    predicts if Corrections Canada refuses
  • 00:39:35
    to
  • 00:39:35
    significant improvements more prisoners
  • 00:39:38
    will die we don't have a sign over our
  • 00:39:41
    prisons that says abandon all hope all
  • 00:39:44
    ye who enter right it's called a
  • 00:39:46
    Correctional Service for a reason people
  • 00:39:48
    are sent to prison as a punishment
  • 00:39:50
    imposed by the court the prison is not
  • 00:39:53
    supposed to add pain to that punishment
  • 00:39:56
    Canada should know this is what's
  • 00:39:58
    happening to our young people there's
  • 00:40:00
    young people in jail for minor
  • 00:40:02
    infractions for mental conditions not
  • 00:40:05
    being treated and held four five six
  • 00:40:08
    seven eight years do people really know
  • 00:40:12
    about that I don't think so
  • 00:40:14
    [Music]
  • 00:40:21
    it'd never be right for Ashley
  • 00:40:23
    they took her life Ashley didn't take
  • 00:40:25
    her life they did Ashley was driven
  • 00:40:28
    because the girl that left here was not
  • 00:40:31
    suicidal she was not scared she was not
  • 00:40:33
    gay
  • 00:40:34
    she was not trying to choke herself out
  • 00:40:38
    where did she get it
  • 00:40:40
    but they told her that's not what she
  • 00:40:43
    was taught at home
  • 00:40:44
    [Music]
  • 00:40:46
    through the whole system they fail they
  • 00:40:49
    all failed
  • 00:40:50
    [Music]
Tags
  • Ashley Smith
  • mental health
  • prison system
  • Canada
  • solitary confinement
  • correctional reform
  • self-harm
  • juvenile justice
  • investigative journalism
  • inmate treatment