info
Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
London, Ont Jail Has Three Deaths In 6 Weeks
8 views
Skip to first unread message
Greg Carr
Jan 20, 2018, 9:05:48 AM1/20/18
to
"Another day in paradise."
That's how James Pigeau described his life in an infamous Ontario jail
— the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC), in London, Ont. —
during a phone call to CBC The Fifth Estate producer Joseph Loiero. In
reality, he said, the conditions were anything but ideal.
Pigeau was 32 years old and in jail waiting for his trial on charges
of robbery and theft. On Jan. 7, he was found dead in his cell.
He and Loiero first started talking when The Fifth Estate was doing a
story about Adam Kargus, an inmate who was murdered in his cell at
EMDC in 2013, when Pigeau was also at the jail on other charges.
But Pigeau wanted to keep talking about the conditions in the jail —
and what he wanted to see change.
The coroner has yet to rule on the cause of death, but some media are
reporting a possible drug overdose, perhaps linked to fentanyl.
Pigeau's was the third death in the facility since December 1.
'This is the worst jail in Ontario. They f---ing don't give two s---s.
None of your rights are upheld here, you know?'
- James Pigeau
Before his death, Pigeau painted a grim portrait of life inside EMDC
in those phone calls — alleged beatings by guards, rampant drug abuse
by inmates, and a general lawlessness. Ten thousand current and former
inmates have filed a class action suit against the jail for conditions
they say are inhumane.
Pigeau alleges he was beaten up by several guards last summer. He says
he had an altercation with some guards and that the next day, he was
called aside to take his medication. Pigeau describes what he says
happened next.
"So basically, yeah, the 12 of them jumped me, beat the living f---
right out of me," says Pigeau. "They threw a hood over my head, and
then basically as they were escorting me down to, well, dragging me
down to the hole… Then I demanded pictures be taken, which they did,
and then about, I think, an hour, two hours later, they found me on
the floor, unconscious. So then they grabbed me and took me to the
hospital."
CBC The Fifth Estate could not verify how many guards were involved in
the incident or how severe the injuries were, but Pigeau's lawyer
Kevin Egan says that his client had been the victim of violence at the
institution, and says he was beaten by several guards and taken to the
hospital.
Though he was trying to improve conditions for inmates and make the
jail safer and more humane, Loiero says Pigeau also had a sense of
hopelessness that anything would change in the jail.
"This is the worst jail in Ontario," says Pigeau. "They f---ing don't
give two s---s. None of your rights are upheld here, you know?"
"No wonder people are so, you know, depressed," he says.
EMDC 3.jpg
The Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre in London, Ont., has one of the
highest numbers of inmate deaths in Canada. (CBC)
"What are we supposed to do?," he says. "Lawsuits don't change
anything, telling the public don't change anything, you know? Inmates
are dying left, right, and centre, and the public don't give two
s---s… I think nothing's gonna happen until the community is actually
shown what we go through in here, how things are conducted in here."
Guards at EMDC have also told CBC The Fifth Estate about their
concerns over safety at the institution.
Pigeau had told CBC producer Joseph Loiero that he did not use
fentanyl. But he talked about how inmates at the jail used it, some
for the first time, to try to cope with the conditions at EMDC.
Ontario's Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
Marie-France Lalonde, when asked about the three deaths at the
facility since December, said in a statement:
"I want the public to know that I take my responsibly to improve the
conditions of our correctional system very seriously and that I will
continue to take strong action to ensure the safety of our staff and
inmates."
The major crime unit of the London Police Service is investigating
Pigeau's death. Pigeau's lawyer Kevin Egan hopes the investigation is
comprehensive.
"I really hope that the police do a thorough investigation, apprised
of all of the background facts regarding this individual," says Egan.
"I think that there is reasonable cause to have a healthy suspicion
that there may be something more to it than a simple drug overdose."
CBC News: Overcrowding, understaffing and 'culture of violence'
rampant at notorious jail: lawyer
CBC News: EMDC inmate who died Sunday had been assaulted before
Egan stresses that Pigeau had an expectation of safety, even in jail.
"The one thing that I think has to be stressed in all of this is that
a human being has lost his life," he says. "An individual had an
expectation of being kept safe, and he's dead."
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-january-17-2018-1.4490288/inmates-are-dying-left-right-and-centre-third-death-in-six-weeks-renews-criticism-of-ontario-prison-1.4490295
---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com
That's how James Pigeau described his life in an infamous Ontario jail
— the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC), in London, Ont. —
during a phone call to CBC The Fifth Estate producer Joseph Loiero. In
reality, he said, the conditions were anything but ideal.
Pigeau was 32 years old and in jail waiting for his trial on charges
of robbery and theft. On Jan. 7, he was found dead in his cell.
He and Loiero first started talking when The Fifth Estate was doing a
story about Adam Kargus, an inmate who was murdered in his cell at
EMDC in 2013, when Pigeau was also at the jail on other charges.
But Pigeau wanted to keep talking about the conditions in the jail —
and what he wanted to see change.
The coroner has yet to rule on the cause of death, but some media are
reporting a possible drug overdose, perhaps linked to fentanyl.
Pigeau's was the third death in the facility since December 1.
'This is the worst jail in Ontario. They f---ing don't give two s---s.
None of your rights are upheld here, you know?'
- James Pigeau
Before his death, Pigeau painted a grim portrait of life inside EMDC
in those phone calls — alleged beatings by guards, rampant drug abuse
by inmates, and a general lawlessness. Ten thousand current and former
inmates have filed a class action suit against the jail for conditions
they say are inhumane.
Pigeau alleges he was beaten up by several guards last summer. He says
he had an altercation with some guards and that the next day, he was
called aside to take his medication. Pigeau describes what he says
happened next.
"So basically, yeah, the 12 of them jumped me, beat the living f---
right out of me," says Pigeau. "They threw a hood over my head, and
then basically as they were escorting me down to, well, dragging me
down to the hole… Then I demanded pictures be taken, which they did,
and then about, I think, an hour, two hours later, they found me on
the floor, unconscious. So then they grabbed me and took me to the
hospital."
CBC The Fifth Estate could not verify how many guards were involved in
the incident or how severe the injuries were, but Pigeau's lawyer
Kevin Egan says that his client had been the victim of violence at the
institution, and says he was beaten by several guards and taken to the
hospital.
Though he was trying to improve conditions for inmates and make the
jail safer and more humane, Loiero says Pigeau also had a sense of
hopelessness that anything would change in the jail.
"This is the worst jail in Ontario," says Pigeau. "They f---ing don't
give two s---s. None of your rights are upheld here, you know?"
"No wonder people are so, you know, depressed," he says.
EMDC 3.jpg
The Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre in London, Ont., has one of the
highest numbers of inmate deaths in Canada. (CBC)
"What are we supposed to do?," he says. "Lawsuits don't change
anything, telling the public don't change anything, you know? Inmates
are dying left, right, and centre, and the public don't give two
s---s… I think nothing's gonna happen until the community is actually
shown what we go through in here, how things are conducted in here."
Guards at EMDC have also told CBC The Fifth Estate about their
concerns over safety at the institution.
Pigeau had told CBC producer Joseph Loiero that he did not use
fentanyl. But he talked about how inmates at the jail used it, some
for the first time, to try to cope with the conditions at EMDC.
Ontario's Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
Marie-France Lalonde, when asked about the three deaths at the
facility since December, said in a statement:
"I want the public to know that I take my responsibly to improve the
conditions of our correctional system very seriously and that I will
continue to take strong action to ensure the safety of our staff and
inmates."
The major crime unit of the London Police Service is investigating
Pigeau's death. Pigeau's lawyer Kevin Egan hopes the investigation is
comprehensive.
"I really hope that the police do a thorough investigation, apprised
of all of the background facts regarding this individual," says Egan.
"I think that there is reasonable cause to have a healthy suspicion
that there may be something more to it than a simple drug overdose."
CBC News: Overcrowding, understaffing and 'culture of violence'
rampant at notorious jail: lawyer
CBC News: EMDC inmate who died Sunday had been assaulted before
Egan stresses that Pigeau had an expectation of safety, even in jail.
"The one thing that I think has to be stressed in all of this is that
a human being has lost his life," he says. "An individual had an
expectation of being kept safe, and he's dead."
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-january-17-2018-1.4490288/inmates-are-dying-left-right-and-centre-third-death-in-six-weeks-renews-criticism-of-ontario-prison-1.4490295
---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com
Liberals are VERMIN!
Jan 20, 2018, 7:38:53 PM1/20/18
to
On Saturday, 20 January 2018 09:05:48 UTC-5, Greg Carr wrote:
> "Another day in paradise."
>
> That's how James Pigeau described his life in an infamous Ontario jail
> — the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC), in London, Ont. —
> during a phone call to CBC The Fifth Estate producer Joseph Loiero. In
> reality, he said, the conditions were anything but ideal.
>
> Pigeau was 32 years old and in jail waiting for his trial on charges
> of robbery and theft. On Jan. 7, he was found dead in his cell.
No loss.
> "Another day in paradise."
>
> That's how James Pigeau described his life in an infamous Ontario jail
> — the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC), in London, Ont. —
> during a phone call to CBC The Fifth Estate producer Joseph Loiero. In
> reality, he said, the conditions were anything but ideal.
>
> Pigeau was 32 years old and in jail waiting for his trial on charges
> of robbery and theft. On Jan. 7, he was found dead in his cell.
Dave Smith
Jan 20, 2018, 7:45:28 PM1/20/18
to
life around.
Eric®
Jan 23, 2018, 4:55:42 PM1/23/18
to
Dave Smith wrote:
>
> On 2018-01-20 7:38 PM, Liberals are VERMIN! wrote:
> > On Saturday, 20 January 2018 09:05:48 UTC-5, Greg Carr wrote:
> >> "Another day in paradise."
> >>
> >> That's how James Pigeau described his life in an infamous Ontario jail
> >> ? the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC), in London, Ont. ?
>
> On 2018-01-20 7:38 PM, Liberals are VERMIN! wrote:
> > On Saturday, 20 January 2018 09:05:48 UTC-5, Greg Carr wrote:
> >> "Another day in paradise."
> >>
> >> That's how James Pigeau described his life in an infamous Ontario jail
> >> during a phone call to CBC The Fifth Estate producer Joseph Loiero. In
> >> reality, he said, the conditions were anything but ideal.
> >>
> >> Pigeau was 32 years old and in jail waiting for his trial on charges
> >> of robbery and theft. On Jan. 7, he was found dead in his cell.
> >
> > No loss.
> >
>
> I missed the part on the article where it said he was trying to turn his
> life around.
He hadn't gotten to that yet. But he was a good kid.
> >> reality, he said, the conditions were anything but ideal.
> >>
> >> Pigeau was 32 years old and in jail waiting for his trial on charges
> >> of robbery and theft. On Jan. 7, he was found dead in his cell.
> >
> > No loss.
> >
>
> I missed the part on the article where it said he was trying to turn his
> life around.
0 new messages