Ashley Smith

Ashley Smith was a 19-year-old Canadian woman who died in custody in 2007. She had been in and out of the juvenile justice system since she was 13, and had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. While in prison, she was subjected to a series of restrictive measures, including solitary confinement, which her lawyers argued exacerbated her mental health problems. On October 19, 2007, Smith was found dead in her cell, strangled with a strip of cloth. Her death sparked a public outcry and led to a number of reforms to the Canadian correctional system.