Suicide of inmate whose mental state deteriorated after fire prompts changes

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. – An investigation into the suicide of a depressed inmate at a jail in Prince George, B.C., has prompted changes to how health-care and corrections staff deal with such cases.

Forty-seven-year-old Paul Judge died in hospital on Christmas Day in 2012, five days after he injured himself with a jail-issued razor.

The BC Coroners Service says Judge was transferred to the jail a week earlier to await a court appearance after an altercation involving weapons, and that his mental health had deteriorated after the April 2012 explosion at a sawmill where he worked.

The report says Judge appeared anxious and depressed when he was assessed by a corrections official, two mental-health professionals and a nurse, but that he consistently denied any intention of attempting suicide.

Judge was therefore not placed on suicide watch and was provided with a plastic razor for hygiene reasons, but he used it to slash his jugular vein, leading to cardiac arrest and brain injury.

The coroner’s report says the province’s corrections branch has implemented seven recommendations, including one stemming from the fact that vital information about Judge had not been entered into a computer system used by corrections staff.