Vigil held for man who died behind bars at the Barton Street jail

A vigil was held outside the Barton Street Jail in Hamilton on Wednesday for a man who died behind bars three years ago.

Zakery Rogers’ sister says if the province had better support for him as he was getting out, the loving father may still be alive.

“When I picked him up on Christmas Eve, he was so happy. He hugged me, he was just so excited to see his kids for Christmas, he was looking forward to the future.” his sister, Kylee Rogers said.

Kylee says Zakery was finally able to see a psychiatrist regularly when he was in jail awaiting trial for an alleged string of break-and-enters.

“He struggled from a really young age with mental health and addiction issues, and from the very start we had a super hard time getting any help.” explains Kylee.

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She says he was diagnosed with manic depression and bipolar disorder and after doing well on medication, he was finally feeling hopeful when she helped with bail on Christmas Eve in 2020.

However, she says the pharmacy never received his prescription from the prison and he struggled with his mental health without medication.

“He was just so disappointed, he was hurt, he was scared. He actually begged me to take him back to jail.”

Kylee says he went missing for a month before he was brought back to jail by officers in late January.

Zakery was found without vital signs in his cell the next day. He was resuscitated in hospital and discharged, but ultimately died at the jail.

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His family are now awaiting an inquest into his death.

Kylee strongly believes that getting the prescription medications immediately and having additional supports would have made all the difference for her brother, and likely many others.

“A one to two week difference doesn’t sound like a lot, but it really is when you’re in a crisis.”

Sarah Warry helps to run The Bridge, a non-profit organization in Hamilton that offers support groups and resources to people released from jail. She says these programs are imperative, as many people leaving jail simply don’t know where to turn.

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“We know that there’s a lower recidivism rate. Those who are involved in the system will have a higher quality of life, they’ll be more successful if they’re able to access services once they get out.” said Warry.

According to new provincial data, one in five prisoners released from Ontario jails have nowhere to land and end up facing homelessness.

“They’re somebody’s son, somebody’s father, somebody’s brother,” said Kylee. “My, our lives have just been completely flipped upside down by all of this, and we can never get any of that back.”

An inquest into the circumstances surrounding Zakery’s death has been announced as the case was ruled inconclusive, though no date has been set at this time.