Man’s plight ‘a troubling situation’: judge
The mother of 20-year-old Chayse Preete says the Yukon’s mental health system is failing her son – is failing period.
The mother of 20-year-old Chayse Preete says the Yukon’s mental health system is failing her son – is failing period.
Tannis Preete appeared with her son last week before territorial court Judge Mike Cozens during a hearing to discuss the custody status of her son.
He is in jail on a charge of breaching a court order after being released from jail earlier this month.
“None of this even makes sense,” Tannis said of the disheartening encounter Chayse has experienced with the criminal justice system in the last few of months.
“I am here begging for somebody to give him the treatment he needs ... for somebody to please give him a chance, give him the mental health care he needs,” she told Cozens.
“All we want is for somebody to give him the service that he deserves as a human being.”
Tannis said in an interview with the Star that her son is not a criminal.
Her son is a man in need of professional treatment to address serious mental health issues he has been dealing with since he was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 15, she said.
Tannis said Chayse should not be languishing in the segregation unit of the Whitehorse Correctional Centre awaiting another court appearance, but rather should be in a qualified mental health facility down south.
Most recently, her son was picked up by the RCMP in late September at her request because he was in a psychotic state and she feared for his safety.
Chayse was released a couple of days later on the understanding he would immediately seek and receive the professional mental health services he required, Tannis explained.
But the services he needed were not provided and within a week, he was back in trouble.
Tannis again solicited the assistance of the RCMP. She showed them emails Chayse had sent her containing statements about what he would like to do to an acquaintance.
It was only talk, she said, but the police charged him with uttering threats. And he was back in jail being held in segregation.
When Chayse was released on a conditional discharge on Dec. 11, it took less than a week before he breached his conditions by telling somebody he was going to sic his dog on them, and he was back in jail.
Tannis said through this last three tumultuous months, her son has not received the mental health services he so desperately needs; services he deserves.
Following his most recent arrest, the correctional centre sent Chayse to Whitehorse General Hospital. There, he was kept in the secure unit because the correctional centre didn’t want to deal with him, she said.
Following his most recent arrest, a forensic psychologist from Vancouver found Chayse fit to stand trial.
Cozens emphasized the report from the forensic psychologist, however, comes with some big question marks regarding the state of Chayse’s mental health.
“It is a troubling situation,” Cozens said, noting he is familiar with Chayse’s past dealings with the court.
Cozens noted the forensic psychologist did state in her report she would be available to testify should the court require further input from her.
Defence lawyer Bob Dick indicated to the court he is now seeking a hearing to determine if Chayse was criminally responsible for his most recent charge of uttering a threat.
The matter is scheduled to be back in court Tuesday to see when the forensic psychologist will be available.
The judge said the criminalization of the mental health problems has been an issue right across Canada for years.
Chayse’s case, he said, is very problematic.
Following Wednesday’s court appearance, the 20-year-old was sent back to the segregation unit at the correctional centre.
Tannis said her son is now being kept under sedation, but sedation is not the answer.
She hopes he is found not criminally responsible and sent south to receive the mental health treatment he requires, she said.
Tannis told the judge her son hasn’t fallen through the cracks in the territory’s mental health system; he’s been shoved through them by a system that is largely unresponsive.
She said she is beginning a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to hire a lawyer with expertise in mental health cases.
The legal aid lawyers have done a good job of representing Chayse so far, she told Star, but she feels it’s necessary now to seek the best representation possible.
Comments (12)
Up 1 Down 0
icefog on Jan 5, 2016 at 2:18 pm
Politico, while I can certainly see how optically you might think there are no services given what has been published and reported on in recent times so let me try to shed some light. The Justice department contracts to various professionals (psychiatrists and psychologists) to attend WCC albeit there is room for improvement. The current administration cut all but one of their treatment positions leaving only one therapist on staff to address a huge population of forensic clients (about 600 and counting). There has never been a rationale for this nor has their been any public outcry over this occurring so they cut the treatment positions with no accountability. That being said, a number of government and private practitioners attend WCC in order to provide services to their clients including Mental Health Services, Many Rivers counselling, KDFN treatment Services, FASSY, Skookum Jims and others. Additionally, solitary confinement is hardly "solitary" and most often used for an individuals own protection when they are psychotic and\or violent. The inmates have regular contact with staff, are allowed outside of their rooms and can have items in their rooms for reading. They are under constant attention by the staff. One should not make sweeping generalizations regarding a highly publicized individual who should have been sent outside the territory years ago...I don't think it's WCC that keeps him there and believe me if they had their way he would have been gone years ago. You have to look to the courts for that answer and that's federal jurisdiction.
The WCC is classified as a hospital under legislation and that is why mental health clients with severe behavioral problems are housed there instead of hospital and it is rare. It is also safer to have them there than on the second floor of the hospital and all their medical and mental health needs are afforded for IF they want it. Tell me when was the last time you could get your teeth looked at or your medical issues attended to in under a week? Have you tried to see a psychologist\psychologist in under a week....virtually impossible. That is what inmates are afforded. Yes, our system isn't perfect but show me one that is. Short of building a mental health facility and staffing it...which equates to millions of dollars the people of the Yukon will have to endure (and I state this facetiously) with existing resources...but then again if YTG did build a facility I'm sure people would complain about the expenditure.
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Been there, and I hope there's a happy ending to this on Dec 31, 2015 at 7:53 am
I don't pretend to understand why someone would 'thumbs down' a comment about this young man's mother fighting for her son. Mental illness - as Judge Cozens says in the article "The judge said the criminalization of the mental health problems has been an issue right across Canada for years" - is difficult to assess and deal with, and it's no different in the Yukon than in other places in Canada. As for fitness to stand trial, there's a big debate going on in the justice and medical communities as to how an assessment should be performed, and by whom. I have my fingers crossed for this mother and this young man. As for the comments about 'admitting he needs help' and 'paying for his crimes', well those are appropriate only for people capable of making those decisions, which people with mental illness typically aren't.
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Politico on Dec 30, 2015 at 8:06 pm
@Foggy Your comments seem at odds with the many stories published even in this paper over the years. So all of the stories about solitary confinement instead of hospital time, lack of qualified staff to run programs and no medicines are all lies according to you. Good to know!
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icefog on Dec 30, 2015 at 12:02 pm
People who are housed at WCC have more access to medical and mental health professionals than the average person who has not committed a crime. Mental Health treatment is available to any yukon citizen who chooses to access it via Heal and Social Services and that is a fact. CJ it sounds like you are just another person with a axe to grind without looking at the facts....and there is always more to the story... after all this is media. Those involved in helping people cannot participate in these discussions as it is confidential information so you get a one sided, biased view of what is going on and it is almost always not a true reflection of the actual circumstances. Furthermore have a look at the state of mental health services in other provinces or other countries for a true look at what lack of service is. The only reason you get such good care here is geography...In other countries you would be lying in street without access to medical or mental health care unless you have a pocketful of cash. The entitlement of some people is just appalling to me. Meanwhile Doctors, nurses, psychologists and other helping professional work diligently and exhaustively to address the problems and provide you and your loved ones a level of care unsurpassed in other countries......and all you can do is take shots at them....shameful, unnecessary and uninformed.
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Politico on Dec 29, 2015 at 8:02 pm
It always seems there is lots of money for incarceration but little for treatment. Our society loves punishment so much more that curing problems.
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Lindsey Crivea on Dec 29, 2015 at 4:36 pm
The Yukon has never properly addressed mental health. Most people that are suffering from mental health problems leads to criminal behavior and abuse. It makes me sick and bitter to see it go unaddressed..seems like they rather fill the jails. The mental health and child care system is a joke.
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CJ on Dec 29, 2015 at 2:35 pm
Mental health treatment has not come a long way in the Yukon. If you think "there's more to this story", personally I doubt it. The Yukon basically paves a smooth track from mental illness to the correctional system and I believe it's likely to be every bit as Kafkaesque as the sufferers say. It would be interesting to know what exactly has changed since they put a schizophrenic man in solitary confinement at the jail several years ago.
"The first thing is to admit you have a problem, he needs to pay for his crimes." A lot of ignorance lies beneath that sanctimonious, and cruel, statement.
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Rorex1983 on Dec 29, 2015 at 11:17 am
Undoubtedly the territory needs to do more but one needs to question some of the reporting here. Mostly the papers account of Tannis comments.
Let me get this straight - the Whitehorse Correctional facility paid a Correctional Officer to stand guard at the Whitehorse General Hospital because they didn't want to deal with him. I am calling BS. Chances are their is way more to this story, like he hurt himself for example. Its substantially more expensive to pay for an officer to supervise one person then hold him in segregation. Perhaps a judge ordered this or a doctor?
One also has to think especially given the fact that a psychologist found him fit to stand trail that some sort of updated diagnoses was provided even if it just re-confirmed the bi-polar diagnoses. Would have been great if this was reported.
I do have to say if all we are dealing with is a bi-polar diagnoses then this guy is likely going to be found guilty. That said at sentencing a formal diagnoses is often used as a mitigating factor so assuming the psychologist testifies, I highly doubt he will receive a harsh sentence by anyone's standards.
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Always a Yukoner on Dec 29, 2015 at 8:35 am
Hopefully your son wants the help, that's the first step, admitting you have a problem. Let's just not feed him full of drugs, not the answer. Mental health in the Yukon has come a long way but still has a lot of work ahead.
He did not follow the law and he broke it, he needs to pay for his crimes, PLEASE do not use mental health as a way out. Admission is the first step to a healthier, productive, successful life.
All the best to him.
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Sarah Norlin on Dec 28, 2015 at 9:15 pm
Tannis. Thank you for bringing yet another voice to this inhumane treatment to those who are mentally ill and who end up involved in the justice system in Yukon. There are so many more similar stories like this throughout Yukon and Canada. I hope government is listening and will start taking action. Mental illness is a health issue as much as cancer is but seems to be often treated like a justice issue. Good luck.
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Kim Healy on Dec 28, 2015 at 5:19 pm
Dear Tannis, you have fought long and hard for Chayse. He is lucky to have a mother who has not given up on him, even though the system seems to be doing so, on so many levels. We wish and hope for that Chayse gets the help he needs and deserves.
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Good Luck! on Dec 28, 2015 at 4:16 pm
Tannis, You sound like a stand up mother. Good job for keeping up the fight to get your son the treatment you feel he deserves. It's unfortunate that the system here has failed so many people. Good luck to you in this battle!