A man arrested near Parry Sound last month in connection with human remains found on a snowmobile trail died in the Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene, not in OPP custody says a Special Investigations Unit (SIU) spokesperson.
The Centre is a maximum security prison.
See: Name released of person who died in OPP custody
Monica Hudon, SIU Communications Coordinator told BayToday that Vikram Dhindsa, just 38 years old and from Mississauga, was arrested by the OPP then remanded to the facility in Penetanguishene where was later found dead.
OPP had previously said the man died while in police custody.
When police officers are involved in incidents where someone has been seriously injured or dies, the SIU conducts independent investigations to determine whether a criminal offence took place.
A call to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services drew this reply from spokesman Andrew Morrison.
"A male inmate at the Central North Correctional Centre was found unresponsive in his cell on January 18. Paramedics were called and the inmate was pronounced deceased. It would be inappropriate for the ministry to comment further as the matter is under investigation. Should the Coroner’s death investigation determine that the inmate’s death was anything other than natural causes, a mandatory inquest will be held."
Spokesperson from the Office of the Chief Coroner Cheryl Mahyr told BayToday that a decision on an inquest hasn't been made yet. "The investigation is still early and is ongoing."
Mahyr said there is not timeframe for the investigation to be complete.
"Every death is as unique as the decedent and it depends on the complexity of the death. They take on average four to six months or longer and results from death investigations are not made public, they are private and not publicly released. If there is an inquest held it's a public hearing and any member of the public can attend an inquest. If no inquest is held in this death the information from the investigation is protected under the Coroner's Act and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act."
The Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene has a poor record and has been ranked No.1 in the province when it comes to inmate complaints, according to former Ontario Ombudsman André Marin's 2013 report.
The Ombudsman is an independent officer of the Legislature who investigates complaints from the public about Ontario government services.
Another report, from Ombudsman Marin, 2014-2015 Annual Report of Ontario Ombudsman’s Office is also unflattering to the prison system.
"We consistently receive a high number of complaints from inmates about health care services, such as a lack of access to medication and medical staff. This year, we received 2,138 complaints about health care issues in correctional facilities, a slight decrease from 2,220 last year.
"Inmate-on-inmate assaults are another concern consistently reflected in complaints – 70 this year, 69 last year. The Ombudsman raised this issue in his 2013-2014 Annual Report, citing a case of an inmate who was so badly beaten that he required reconstructive facial surgery. Despite previous direction from the Ministry that all assaults leading to serious injury required an investigation, the assault was never investigated. Since then, the Ministry has changed course, and now takes the stance that correctional facilities are not obligated to conduct formal investigations into inmate-on-inmate assaults, even if an inmate is hospitalized.
"Two years after the Ombudsman’s report The Code, which looked at the handling of cases of excessive use of force by correctional officers against inmates, we received 79 complaints from inmates about this issue."
And the latest report (2015-2016) from Ombudsman Paul Dubé also causes concern.
"In 2010, my Office noticed a disturbing trend. We found a series of cases where provincial correctional staff appeared to have used excessive force against inmates, many of whom were defenseless and vulnerable. Equally shocking, we also found instances in which correctional staff attempted to cover up their rogue behaviour with the assistance of co-workers.
"In the past four years, my Office has received more than 350 complaints about unreasonable force. My investigation focused on the two-year period beginning January 1, 2010. Since that time, the Ministry has substantiated that the use of force was excessive in close to half of the cases it investigated: 26 of 55. From January 1, 2010 to January 1, 2013, the Ministry disciplined 108 staff in relation to these incidents, and dismissed five managers and 26 correctional officers. At the time of writing this report, four former correctional staff members were facing charges and one had been convicted of criminal assault on an inmate.
Between April 2012 and March 2013 there were 665 complaints to the ombudsman about the Penetanguishene facility.
