Canada’s chief correctional investigator is raising concerns about the treatment of mental illness in Canada’s prison system after a three-year review of federal inmate suicides found that nearly half occurred in segregation cells that were under close supervision.
Howard Sapers, the ombudsman for federally sentenced offenders, released a report on Wednesday that reviewed 30 suicide deaths that occurred in federal penitentiaries between April 2011 and March 2014.
It found that 14 of the 30 suicides examined happened in segregation cells that were being closely monitored. “I am concerned that the Correctional Service of Canada continues to rely on long-term segregation placements as a means to manage symptoms or behaviors associated with mental illness, suicidal ideation or self-harming,” Sapers said in a new release. “This practice is unsafe and should be expressly prohibited.”
Suicide is the leading cause of unnatural death in Canadian federal prisons, with approximately one in five custody deaths taking place in each year.
Sapers said he is also concerned about the continued presence of “dangerous suspension points” that are accessible to inmates after the report found that in nearly all suicides reviewed, the inmate died by asphyxiation, mostly hangings.
“It is concerning that these individuals were able to find the means to end their lives in an area of the prison where safety, security and surveillance protocols are elevated,” Sapers said.
He said that despite a previous directive, there has been no work undertaken to identify and remove suspension points in segregation cells.
A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Steve Blaney said the government has "acknowledged" Sapers’ report.
"At all times, our thoughts are with the victims of crime," Jason Tamming told The Canadian Press.
"Our Conservative government believes that convicted criminals belong behind bars and that a prison is not always the most appropriate place to treat those with severe mental illness."
Tamming also said a recently announced mental health action plan for federal offenders "will ensure that the correctional system can effectively correct criminal behaviour."
Lacking preventative, post-incident measures
The report also examined the case history of 10 of the inmates, and found that for most, there were “known precipitating events” or risk factors that indicated suicidal intent. This suggested, the report said, that some of the deaths could have been averted with more rigorous screening procedures, or access to mental health services.
Although Correctional Service investigates all deaths in custody, Sapers says the report found the “post-incident investigative process” lacking organizational independence.
“It is rare for CSC investigators to go the extra step to identify how the death might have been averted had staff acted or decided in a different manner,” Sapers said. “Lessons learned and corrective measures from even a single suicide should have a lasting impact on the organization.”
The report contains 11 new recommendations, including that the reports of suicides be shared with designated family members. The report also called for further action on two recommendations from similar investigations.
Wednesday is World Suicide Prevention Day.
With files from The Canadian Press
