Effie Snowshoe and her family. Her son, Edward, top right, died in a jail in Alberta. Photo from Effie Snowshoe

A woman from the Tetlit Gwich’in First Nation in the Northwest Territories plans to sue authorities in Alberta over her son's death at a jail facility in August 2010.

Effie Bella Snowshoe said her family still suffers from the suicide of her 24-year-old son Edward. He had been kept in solitary confinement for 162 days before he died, according to an official report from the Minister of Justice in Alberta.

“Me and my kids are just hurt so bad, I have to do something,” Snowshoe told The Globe and Mail. “I have a hole in my heart.”

Edward Snowshoe was serving time for armed robbery. He attempted suicide three times but was never provided adequate mental health services, according to the report.

Jail staff claimed they didn't know about Snowshoe's history even though the information was readily available in the offender management system, the report said. And no one knew that he had been kept in solitary for so long despite procedures that require higher-level reviews.

"Edward Christopher Snowshoe fell through the cracks of a system and no one was aware of how long he had been in segregation even though that information was readily available," the report said.

Get the Story:
Edward Snowshoe spent 162 days in segregation before suicide (CBC 7/11)
Neglect, confusion led up to inmate's prison suicide, report reveals (The Globe and Mail 7/11)
Use of solitary confinement for federal inmates on the rise (The Edmonton Journal 7/15)

Some Opinions:
Paula Simons: ‘I wanted my boy back’ (The Edmonton Journal 7/11)
Gary Mason: Edward Snowshoe’s death should concern us all (The Globe and Mail 7/11)
Canada’s prison service failed Edward Snowshoe as it did Ashley Smith: Editorial (The Toronto Star 7/12)
Editorial: How many more Edward Snowshoes are in our prisons? (The Globe and Mail 7/13)
Renu Mandhane: Edward Snowshoe’s death exposed the reality of torture in Canada (The Globe and Mail 7/14)