Need for more mental health resources not a problem unique to HMP, says Andrew Parsons
Newfoundland and Labrador's justice minister is reacting to calls to improve health care at the province's prisons.
Andrew Parsons made the comments after a mental health advocate and the psychiatrist who treats inmates have called for more resources for correctional facilities.
It's an unlikely alliance but both defence lawyer Mark Gruchy and prison psychiatrist Dr. David Craig agree on at least one thing — they both want the new Liberal government to increase health care resources in prisons.
Minister Parsons was quite vocal on the issue when he was justice critic in 2012, the same year the sitting PC justice minister released a peer review of Dr. Craig's work.
Now that he holds that responsibility, Parsons said he recognizes the challenges that Her Majesty's Penitentiary (HMP) and other jails in the province are facing. While he acknowledges there is always more resources that can be added, he said that's not a problem unique to correctional facilities.
"I think it's everywhere," he told CBC News on Thursday. "I don't think there's a place in this province where people can go where people aren't saying they can use more resources when it comes to mental health."
Regarding calls for more psychiatrists at HMP, Parsons said in some instances a second doctor has been brought in to deal with increased demand.
The bigger issue of the penitentiary building itself is also something Parsons said the new government recognizes, but he said there is no specific plan to replace it yet.
"I'm not going to stand here today and say that we have a working facility there," he said. "We all know that it's outlived its shelf life."
"It's got tremendous issues but at the same time we look at the fiscal situation and we see it's a tough issue."