Jamie Briggs Obituary, Death – An outraged Toronto lawyer is calling for drastic changes after her client died in London’s jail early Wednesday. According to Alison Craig of The London Free Press, Jamie Briggs, 44, was suffering from medical issues at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC). “The jail was fully aware that Mr. Briggs was in medical distress and that his condition was deteriorating,” she said in a statement on Thursday.
“It is inexcusable that he was left to die in his cell instead of being taken to the hospital for desperately needed medical attention.” He appears to have been treated as a disposable life.” Craig didn’t hold back when he found out about the death on Wednesday and Thursday. “The Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre must be closed immediately.” How many inmates must die before something is done? “You’re damn right, I’m fuming,” she tweeted.
According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General, paramedics were called to EMDC on Wednesday after staff discovered an inmate unresponsive in his cell. “Paramedics at the facility pronounced the inmate dead. A number of investigations are launched when an inmate dies.” Because several investigations are ongoing, the ministry is unable to provide additional information.” In an email, Andrew Morrison, a spokesperson, stated. Briggs is the 21st person to die in custody since 2009. This is the second death for EMDC in 2022. Ronald Jack, 59, died on September 13th.
“How long will things take to change?” Dar Maynard, the deceased inmate Brandon Marchant’s stepmother, spoke out. “How many lives must be sacrificed?” “These are people,” she said, referring to the father, brother, or son of someone. A coroner’s inquest was held in seven of the 21 deaths, allowing juries to make recommendations to prevent future deaths. “The deaths are occurring at a rate that the coroner cannot handle,” said Kevin Egan, a London lawyer who represents several deceased inmates’ families. “It’s heartbreaking for everyone involved, especially Mr. Briggs and his family, as well as those working at the jail who are dealing with yet another death,” says one.
Murray Davis’s inquest into his death in 2017 will begin next week. A coroner’s inquest has yet to look into other deaths from that year, as well as one from 2013. Inquests and criminal cases involving EMDC have revealed gaps in health-care and supervision, as well as gaps in communication and collaboration between the jail and hospitals. A coroner’s jury recommended that EMDC be replaced with a modern facility following an inquest into the deaths of two men in 2020. The jail was built in the 1970s for 150 inmates, with one person in each cell and program rooms on each unit. The cells were converted to two-person cells, while the program rooms were converted to three-person cells. Manpower was increased in each unit while programming was reduced.
Previously, three men were crammed into two-person cells, and five were crammed into three-person cells, with inmates sleeping on the floor with their heads near toilets. Because their stations are located down a hallway from inmate living areas, correctional officers have no way of knowing what is going on in the units. Closed-circuit cameras installed in units are not required to be monitored by officers. The province is converting some units so that correctional officers can see common areas more clearly.
