Presiding coroner set to charge Ashley Smith jury as inquest draws to close
TORONTO – Jurors at the Ashley Smith inquest receive final instructions today before starting their deliberations.
Presiding coroner Dr. John Carlisle will charge the five-women panel before sending them away to come up with a verdict and recommendations.
The jury heard from 83 witnesses since the inquest began in mid-January into Smith’s choking death in a prison segregation cell in 2007.
They also heard four days of final summations from the various parties last week.
They were given conflicting advice on whether the 19-year-old Smith meant to kill herself or died because guards — under orders against quick intervention — waited too long to save her.
Their recommendations are expected to cover a broad swath of problems with how Corrections Canada deals with mentally ill women.
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