Testimony at Coroner’s Inquest focuses on mental health supports at Sask Pen.

The question of whether there are adequate mental health supports at the men’s prison dominated discussion on Thursday.

At the time of Lupkoski’s death, Jeri-Anne Armitage was in charge of a program that helped inmates address behavioral issues. For nearly three-and-a-half months, five days a week, Lupkoski was a part of her class.

She recalled Brandon spoke openly about his addictions, but was also very kind and positive about wanting to change.

In early October, Brandon was moved to the mental health range after an incident where he was found drug paraphernalia and weapons. About a month later he returned to programming, and Armitage recalled he had lost a lot of weight, his attitude had changed, and he expressed paranoia.

“He didn’t look like himself,” she said.

According to his obituaru, Brandon Lupkoski Brandon had a love for animals that was only matched by his zest for life and adventure. (Image Credit: Cherished Memorial Funeral Services and Crematorium.)

Armitage confirmed she asked Brandon if he was having thoughts of self-harm and he replied no. In addition to not wanting to talk about the drugs, he also dodged her follow up question about his weight loss.

“Jerry, the food here is [expletive],” he told her

The purpose of an inquest is to establish who died, when and where that person died, and the medical cause and manner of death. The coroner’s jury may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.

When asked what she would like to see done, Armitage, who noted privacy protocols with an inmate’s medical records, stated she would like better communication between staff members.

She also suggested improvements to the suicide prevention training.

“I think two hours of online training is not enough,” she said.

Pam Booker, who was Brandon’s parole officer, met with him three times. Like Armitage, she too described her initial impressions of Brandon as confident, bold, and a bit demanding, noting he asked for help with his taxes.

She indicated nothing coming about self-harm.

“I always ask about mental health,” she said.

Following the incident in October, over a week passed before Booker was made aware. Her next meeting with him was incidentally one week before his death. She said he was defensive and annoyed.

“He said I’m fine. Why is everyone asking these questions,” she said about their conversation.

“Why doesn’t everyone leave me alone”

Brandon also insisted he was not using drugs.

Like Armitage, Booker agreed more could be done with respect to the sharing of information. And while stating between 75 and 90 per cent of the over 500 inmates suffers from mental health related issues, she said in an ideal world she would like to have more team members.

Aron Morton, Assistant Warden of Operations, was asked repeatedly about what assessments would have done on Brandon and how often.

He stated when an inmate enters the institution, an Immediate needs assessment done and if anything arises, they are referred to the mental health range. On this question and acknowledging the incident in October, Morton said more intervention could have been done.

“But I’m also not saying they weren’t done”

Lupkoski was in the observation cell from 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 8 to 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 11. During that time he was seen by several people.

“There’s always a daily interaction with them, “Morton said, adding it’s up to medical staff when to release an inmate back to a range.

While stating they’ve hired a number of mental health and addictions workers, Morton confirmed there’s only one addictions counselor at the prison.

Another question posed to Morton was how often urine analysis checks are done. He confirmed the regular checks are part of their drug strategy program and Brandon had failed to comply on three occasions.

To this Morton stated the monetary punishment is a fine up to $50.

Another contentious issue has been the prison’s blanket policy on cell doors. An hour prior to his death, Lupkoski’s entire cell door was covered and when asked by staff if he was okay, he replied “yeah yeah.”

Confirming the removal of hooks to prevent suicides, Morton said they do have to respect inmate privacy.

That being said when asked by Coroner Timothy Hawryluk if he thought the complete removal of the policy could save lives, Morton agreed it could.

At the time of his death, Brandon was serving a three-year, eight-month, and 19-day sentence for breaking and entering with intent to commit, discharging a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and possessing a weapon contrary to a prohibition order.

His statutory release date was Aug 19, 2024.

Brandon’s parents were also in the room and had the opportunity to ask questions.

His father Brian said his son was intelligent, and looked forward to getting out and starting a lawn care business.

“He was a very kind person, he had a heart of gold,” he said.

Most of the father’s questions on Thursday centered around the interactions that occurred between correctional staff and his son, and whether his son ever mentioned he was scared of other inmates. The reply was no

Fighting back tears, the father said he can’t believe his son committed suicide.

“It’s just really hard to fathom as a parent.”

The inquest was scheduled to last five days and Thursday afternoon, the six person jury received their final instructions.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell

by Nigel Maxwell

Testimony at Coroner’s Inquest focuses on mental health supports at Sask Pen.

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