Skye Martin's death won't be in vain, mom vows as lawsuit filed
Ariana Kelland | CBC News | Posted: August 23, 2019 5:08 PM | Last Updated: August 23, 2019
Natasha Martin blames N.L. government, prison superintendent, and psychiatrist for 'wrongful death'
When Skye Martin was a young girl, her mother Natasha went to a parenting course.
"You had to draw a picture of an animal that you thought about when you thought about your child," Natasha Martin said, smiling.
"I drew a unicorn."
Skye Martin was unique, her mother says, loved life, loved people, and was suffering from severe mental illness and addictions issues.
Martin died on April 21, 2018, when she choked on a sandwich wrap she forced down her throat. At the time, she was unattended in her segregated cell at the Newfoundland and Labrador Correctional Centre for Women in Clarenville.
On Thursday, Natasha Martin's lawyer, Jerome Kennedy, filed a lawsuit against the provincial government, the superintendent of prisons, and the prison psychiatrist.
"Why now? Now is the time," Martin said in an interview with CBC News. "I spent the last 16 months looking for answers."
"I will never get the answer to, 'Why me? Why my daughter?' And I'm OK with that."
A statement of claim alleges negligence, abuse of public office, breach of fiduciary duty, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional and mental suffering, and false imprisonment. It names the Department of Justice and Public Safety, the superintendent of prisons, and Dr. David Craig, the prison's psychiatrist.
The allegations in the lawsuit have yet to be tested in court.
System must change, mom says
The 27-year-old was in mental anguish, her mother said, and had harmed herself multiple times before her death.
Her mental health deteriorated at the same rate as her medication was cut, she said.
Before going to Clarenville, Skye Martin was placed on a treatment plan by Dr. Nizar Ladha, after Ladha had diagnosed her with bipolar disorder and ADHD.
Dr. David Craig, the lawsuit alleges, cut Martin's medication.
"How can one person have complete control over the treatment and medication of an inmate?" Martin said.
"There is no accountability ... There was no accountability."
Martin was one of four inmates who died within a one-year period in Newfoundland and Labrador correctional facilities.
Retired Royal Newfoundland Constabulary superintendent Marlene Jesso was hired by government to conduct a review into the deaths.
Her report did not blame any staff but pointed to systematic issues within the justice system.
'Skye, I had to lose you to change the system'
What Natasha Martin has learned has shaken her to the core. She has decided talking about what's needed in the prison is no longer enough.
"In the months since [her death] what I've learned has torn apart my broken heart and drained my faith," Natasha Martin said.
"I do know what went wrong. What I've learned speaks to a system that is broken. We have a prison system that is not equipped to deal with the complex mental health and addiction issues of today's society."
Since her daughter's death, Natasha Martin says she has received support from the other women who were incarcerated.
She was even given a book of messages the day of Skye's wake, written by the women who knew her.
"I'm so proud of them. They knew [Skye] had a mental illness. She was often childlike. They understood that. And they loved her."
Now that the lawsuit has been filed, Natasha Martin says she feels like she can move forward.
She still longs for her hugs, for grabbing takeout together, and watching Skye play with her own daughter, who Natasha Martin is now raising herself.
She goes to the graveyard often to visit and speak to Skye about what progress she has made in the fight for justice, in her daughter's name.
"I say, 'Skye, I had to lose you to change the system.'"