Saskatoon inmate’s sheets 'full of his own blood' due to poor care following stabbing, mother says

SASKATOON -

The mother of an inmate at Saskatoon Correctional Centre says her son has been denied a request to go back to hospital for proper treatment of stab wounds he suffered in custody.

Jordan Ironstand, 25, said on June 30 someone he knew stabbed him 14 times in his head and chest, leaving him with a punctured lung, fractured ribs and a perforated skull before guards broke up the altercation.

According to the Ministry of Corrections, an incident on June 30 involved a few inmates and two inmates sustained injuries that required medical attention.

A spokesperson with the ministry said it is conducting an investigation and it has referred the incident to the Saskatoon Police Service.

Ironstand said he spent a few days at Royal University Hospital where he underwent medical scans to make sure his injuries were non life-threatening. With tubes in his chest and and covered in bandages, Ironstand said he was discharged and returned to his cell by Monday.

Ironstand’s mother Jolene Finlay said she was concerned her son wasn’t getting the treatment he needed to heal his wounds. She said she feared he would die from infection if his wounds weren’t properly treated.

She also said the jail did not to notify her about what happened to Jordan – instead she received a text from an unknown number saying her son had been stabbed 14 times.

“When I spoke to him on Tuesday he said they haven’t done anything to fix his wounds, he says they were bleeding and his sheets are full of his own blood and scabs are peeling off,” Finlay said.

“He requested to go back to the hospital and they said no. The director said his status is high risk, that's why I was not notified.”

Sherri Maier, an advocate for Beyond Prison Walls Canada penned a letter to Minister Christine Tell after learning about the treatment Ironstand was receiving after his attack.

Maier’s letter references Ironstand’s wish to return to hospital but the jail not allowing it because he was considered a high risk.

“How is it that anyone, regardless of their security status, is denied proper medical attention?” Maier writes. “A person who was stabbed (14) times where one wound perforated his skull and reached his brain should not be in the hole, they should be on a medical unit where they are monitored or better yet a hospital.”

Ironstand is in remand awaiting a November trial. He was charged with second degree murder in April 2019 in relation to the disappearance of Colin Focht, a Yorkton man who went missing in August 2018.

Two other people are also charged in relation to Focht’s death.