Donna Cockerill says her son Chris Cockerill isn’t getting the mental health help he needs while serving his prison sentence.

In June 2014, Chris Cockerill pleaded guilty to a number of charges after police said he threatened them with a knife in a field behind Prince Arthur Junior High in Dartmouth. Cockerill was shot by police as they were trying to arrest him.

“When they're arrested like that you feel kind of good because you feel they're gonna be in somewhere's that they're going to get help, It doesn't turn out that way,” says his mother Donna Cockerill.

Chris Cockerill is now serving his sentence at the Shepody Healing Centre in New Brusnwick, a forensic hospital that is part of the Dorchester Penitentiary. His mother says he has PTSD and high anxiety.

“They're broken going in, broken coming out,” says Cockerill.

In February, the Judge who sentenced Chris Cockerill wrote a letter to the Federal Minister of Public Safety, reiterating his opinion that the man “badly needs psychiatric” attention.

"I formed the opinion that Mr. Cockerill badly needed psychiatric attention. I think this was the only time in nearly twenty years on the bench that I included a recommendation for psychiatric treatment in the sentence documents," wrote the Judge.

The Judge went on to say that he cannot force the institution to provide the service, but that he wants to ensure his recommendation is not overlooked.

For its part Correctional Service Canada says it ensures offenders receive the right program at the right time.

“CSC has an updated and integrated mental health strategy which improves the continuum of mental health care provided to offenders. This refined model of mental health service delivery ensures the most effective essential mental health care services are being offered to meet the needs of the offender population,” Correctional Service Canada wrote in an e-mail to CTV News.

Mark Knox is a Halifax lawyer who also serves as the National Vice President of “Seven Steps Society”, an organization that advocates for offenders’ rights.

“I don't think I've ever seen a letter from a judge. I think this is novel. I think it may have to do with the fact the individual is a self-represented person, but it's quite rare,” says Knox.

“These are issues that have been brewing for a while so it’s not really surprising,” Knox continued.

Chris Cockerill’s mother says he has attempted suicide five times.

“It's terrible because every night you go to bed you never know if you're going to get that phone call through the night that Chris is gone,” says his mother.

Donna Cockerill says her son is seeing a psychiatrist, he’s just not getting enough time with her and she can’t understand why.

“I need these questions answered by somebody in charge that can rationalize that because I certainly can't,” says Knox

Donna Cockerill says she knows what her son did was wrong, she just wants him to get the help he needs.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell.