Jamie Dooley
Age 4128 May 2024
Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)
Died in custody

Jamie died in custody less than 24 hours of arriving at Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre.
Standing on a grassy patch and baking under the summer sun, [name redacted] stood next to her daughter and wiped away tears as she stared at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre.
[Name reacted]'s eldest child, 41-year-old Jamie Dooley, spent his final moments in jail before dying on May 28.
"It takes less than one night to die here, but [Jamie] managed to live on the street for three years without an overdose or even one close call," Melissa told CBC Hamilton, saying his death has been "catastrophic" for her family.
It's been almost a month since Dooley died and questions are swirling about how it happened. Andrew Morrison, a spokesperson for Ontario's Ministry of the Solicitor General, confirmed a prisoner died on May 28. He said an investigation is underway, but couldn't share any other details.
Dooley is remembered for his generosity, his love for family, and his athleticism and work as a sous chef, among other things. He grew up in Hamilton, where he was bullied in school and was assaulted in adulthood because he was a trans man, his family said.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Dooley moved to St. John's in hopes of having a fresh start. His family said he would buy bikes, paint them and give them away for free.
During the pandemic, Dooley's family said, he developed paranoia and other mental health issues. His family suspects the isolation may have been hard on Dooley, who always loved having company.
When Dooley returned to Hamilton a year later, his mental health had deteriorated. He ended up unhoused and sleeping in tents. His family said they tried getting Dooley help for his mental health and he had attempted suicide multiple times, but he was never officially diagnosed and was quickly released from hospitals.
On May 26, Dooley's family said, police arrested him while he was outside for missing a court date a month earlier. They said he spent a night in a holding cell before being remanded to the jail and entering segregation.
Dooley's family suggested he may have been put in segregation because he was trans. The province didn't answer questions about if Dooley was in segregation and if so, why. Dooley's family said he refused breakfast at 7 a.m. on May 28 and was found unresponsive at 11 a.m.
Ontario has long faced calls to end segregation in its jails, but a CBC investigation shows prisoners are being isolated more often. In Hamilton, it's happening at a higher rate than elsewhere in the province, meeting the UN's threshold for torture. An advocate for incarcerated people recalls her time in segregation as being "in a little cream-coloured box with nothing." CBC Hamilton's Bobby Hristova explains.
His family said an autopsy was done and found Dooley's cause of death was "unnatural," and they're waiting for the toxicology report. Sudden deaths from unnatural causes in jails automatically trigger provincial inquests.
Family members suspect it was an overdose because they say a small bag with crystals was found near Dooley's body in the jail. Where the bag came from is unclear.
Dooley's family said he self-medicated with crystal meth and fought drug addiction that got worse during the pandemic.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamilton-prisoner-death-2024-jamie-dooley-1.7241017
https://www.chch.com/family-of-inmate-who-died-while-in-custody-fight-for-answers/