Wellness Within Supports Calls for Inquiry into Death of Imprisoned Mi’kmaw Woman

Wellness Within is horrified by the news that a woman died last week while in provincial custody. Sarah Rose Denny died of pneumonia on March 26th, after being transferred to hospital from the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Burnside. We extend our condolences to her family and loved ones.

This is the latest of many deaths in provincial custody and the second Mi’kmaw person to die in custody in Nova Scotia this year. Unlike other provinces, there is no requirement for a public inquiry following a death in custody in Nova Scotia. Wellness Within joins the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia and Denny’s family in calling for an inquiry into this tragedy. Since 2019, we have been demanding a fatality review for all deaths in custody and public institutions. We urge the Houston government to create an independent body to provide ongoing monitoring of conditions of confinement in Nova Scotia jails. This watchdog organization would play a role similar to the Office of the Correctional Investigator for federal institutions. This transparency is essential to ensure that the human rights of some of the most vulnerable members of our society are being upheld.

Wellness Within is a volunteer-based registered non-profit organization that serves women, transgender, and nonbinary people who have experienced criminalization and are pregnant or have young children in Nova Scotia, part of the unceded and unsurrendered ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaq people. 

Wellness Within supports people through the full spectrum of reproductive health experience; facilitates workshops and education sessions; develops resource materials; and advocates for reproductive justice issues.

Contact: Claire Rillie, Chair, 902-456-3807 or crillie@gmail.com and Dr. Martha Paynter, Director of Research, 902-292-7082 or martha.paynter@gmail.com