Another lawsuit has been filed against the provincial government in connection with the death of an inmate in the province’s correctional system.

Lawyer Bob Buckingham today filed a statement of claim against government on behalf of the family of Douglas Neary for what he calls the “preventable and unnecessary death” of Neary at HMP on August 31st, 2017.

Buckingham says Neary was a person who needed help, he had no criminal record and was not convicted of a criminal offence. The Statement of Claim indicates that he was improperly treated while incarcerated and his death was preventable.

Buckingham says the lack of a proper legislative framework, inadequate training and poor management combined to create a “recipe for disaster”.

Neary was one of four inmates who died over a year long period while incarcerated in the correctional system and were the subject of an independent review.

This is the second lawsuit filed against the provincial government in connection with those incidents. Last month the family of Skye Martin filed a Statement of Claim in connection with her passing as the result of an incident at the Correctional Centre for Women in Clarenville in April of 2018.