The 35-year-old man who allegedly stabbed police officer Maureen Breau to death in Louiseville on Monday was on probation when he was apprehended at his home by Sûreté du Québec police officers. On more than one occasion, due to mental illness, he was found not criminally responsible for violent acts he committed. The Commission for the Review of Mental Disorders (CETM), before which he was to appear again in May, had authorized him in 2022 to reside outside a psychiatric hospital, despite the fact that “he represented a risk important to public safety”. This decision was subject to one condition: that he benefit from appropriate supervision and monitoring.
The suspect, Isaac Brouillard Lessard, died during this police intervention. Since then, two questions have been burning people’s lips: had the risk been properly assessed and, above all, did the man benefit from the supervision and monitoring imposed by the CETM? Did police officer Maureen Breau pay with her life for a release that should not have taken place?
The psychiatrists in charge of the thankless but crucial task of granting the return to society of these sick people work in a gray zone. From the outside, it almost looks like they are playing Russian roulette. They must determine the risk to public safety of a repeat offender struggling with mental health and addiction issues, an explosive double. Even if murder cases such as the one that occurred earlier this week are the exception, as the statistics confirm, questions arise. Last summer, a triple homicide that occurred in Montreal and Laval, involving Abdulla Shaikh, suffering from schizophrenia and also known to the CETM, revolved around the same issues.
If psychiatrists gauge the safe nature of a return to public life for these people based on “close supervision and monitoring”, they might have an interest in tightening or even reviewing their criteria. The truth is that even today, and despite crying needs, this care area is like a desert.
Quebec has been the scene of several recent murderous tragedies involving suspects known to have mental health issues. We can never avoid all this killing spree, no matter how many resources are rolled out, but we will certainly reduce the impact by giving the mental health sector the importance it deserves.