PRISON DEATH SPURS CHANGES

The province's corrections branch said it has implemented all but one
of the recommendations for Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre
following an overdose death of an inmate at the prison last summer.

Dean Hopkins, 41, died in the provincial prison on July 3, 2010, from
an overdose of a mix of drugs.

A subsequent critical-incident review prompted six recommendations,
including installing automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in all
B.C. correctional centres.

Jess Gunnarson, a spokesman for BC Corrections, said the province is
reviewing the AED recommendation and will determine later this spring
if the devices will be implemented in all nine B.C. prisons.

He noted BC Corrections has been running an AED pilot program in
three provincial prisons, but KRCC is not included in the project.

When asked why AEDs are not installed in all prisons -- similar to
what the City of Kamloops has done in arenas and sports facilities --
Gunnarson said part of the delay has to do with the training involved
to use the device and the cost.

"We want to make sure if they're being implemented, they're being
implemented and they're useful and necessary," he told KTW, noting in
the three years of the pilot project, the AEDs have only been deployed once.

According to a coroner's report, Hopkins had heroin, methamphetamine
and cannabis in his system when he died.

An investigation revealed Hopkins was found unresponsive by his
cellmate at 10:30 a.m. that day.

The cellmate reported the two had been using drugs in prior evenings,
but was unaware Hopkins consumed drugs the morning of his death.

A search of the cell uncovered illegal drugs, including heroin, which
was hidden in coffee and Coffee-Mate jars.

Gunnarson said prisons officials have a number of tools at their
disposal to keep out drugs -- from ion scanners to strip searches --
but the methods aren't foolproof.

"It's [illegal drugs] a reality and we can't entirely eliminate it,
unfortunately," he said.

Along with the security measures, Gunnarson said prisons also use the
potential of internal and criminal charges as a deterrent to inmates
thinking of sneaking in drugs.

The coroner's report noted there were no signs of injury, trauma,
foul play or any indications of suicide.

The coroner ruled the death an accident.

Hopkins, originally from Peachland, was awaiting trial on charges of
robbery, disguising his face with intent to commit an offence and
uttering threats, relating to charges in Sicamous in February 2009.

The critical-incident report recommended KRCC management review the
process for unlocking inmates to ensure officer presence at the door
of a cell to assist in checking the condition of the inmates.

The report also suggested KRCC management review operating procedures
with staff regarding conducting and recording inmate counts, visual
cell checks and other relevant inmate movements and procedures around
the process of calling health-care staff to a code blue.

It also noted the prison should review the practice of placing
remanded inmates in the kitchen work program.