WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
Two Alberta paramedics forcing medication on an incapacitated man in police custody is a case study in the rampant discrimination faced by incarcerated patients, advocates say.
Richard Mirasty, a Cree defence lawyer based in Edmonton, said the case is an example of how Alberta’s health and criminal justice systems fail to protect vulnerable, marginalized people.
“It’s horrifying,” Mirasty said. “It’s symptomatic of the entire system.”
The case came to light when an RCMP officer in Elk Point, 215 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, became concerned about how the patient had been treated.
The patient was unresponsive in a holding
