Jury recommends better surveillance, safety measures following Kalin Holonics death inquest
The public inquest into the death of Kalin Dean Holonics concluded on Wednesday with a verdict from the jury.
The 25-year-old man from Estevan was found dead in his cell at the Regina Correctional Centre on July 9, 2020.
The public inquiry was heard from a total of six jurors, who gave their verdict late Wednesday afternoon.
The jury determined through the evidence provided that Kalin Dean Holonics died between the hours of 12:30 a.m., and 5:30 a.m., and the manner of the death was accidental.
The jury also presented a list of 11 recommendations for the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety and the Regina Correctional Centre.
The recommendations for the ministry included:
- Enact a drone policy within 500 metres of the correctional centre
- Public inquests occur closer to incident 120 days to six months
- Add additional fencing around the correctional centre to prevent throw overs
- Correctional officers must receive additional training every two years for CPR, first-aid, and naloxone. The training must be in person.
The recommendations for the Regina Correctional Centre included:
- Improve all camera technology inside and outside.
- Check list for correctional officers during their hourly checks. Including references to lights on/off, sleeping, position of sleeping.
- Add an additional body scanner near the doors where inmates go outside to perform duties.
- Review size of windows within doors and install larger windows.
- Pilot project a full time drug dog for one year and look at results.
- Change terminology for inmates working outside from “outside gangs” to “outside team or crew”.
- Investigate use of heart rate risk band to monitor inmate.
The recommendations will be sent to the coroner’s office before being sent to their respective organizations.
Prior to the verdict, the jury heard testimony from the Director of the Regina Correctional Centre Darrell Olbrich.
During the testimony, emotions were prevalent while Olbrich answered questioned on training, policy, and drugs.
A month prior to Holonics death, the province of Saskatchewan implemented a new policy mandating correctional staff do hourly checks on inmates.
On the night of Holonics death, checks were only done at 12:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., and 5:00 a.m.
The Regina Correctional Centre implemented the policy shortly after Holonics death.
Olbrich’s answers unsettled members of the public, some of whom were family members of Holonics.
Crying and yelling could be heard outside of the inquest walls as Olbrich responded to questions about policy and drugs.
The director also said he saw no issue with correctional officers performing the checks throughout the night of Holonics death, saying they were up to policy standard.
Correction officers must identify skin, however looking for signs of life are not written into the policy.
Olbirch also said he is aware of the problem of “throw overs.”
A "throw over" references illegal drugs being thrown over prison walls, which are then picked up by inmates who smuggle the drugs back inside the correctional centre and sell them to other inmates.
Olbirch said the correctional centre has taken precautions to stop “throw overs” in the last several months.
According to Olbrich, nets, extended walls, scanners, as well as photocopying mail before distributing it to inmates are precautions that the correctional centre has taken to prevent drugs from getting into the facility.
Olbrich did agree that further training could benefit correctional officers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.