Of the Dead Written in the Sky | The Press

Some deaths are more predictable and preventable than others.

This is the case of the death of Maureen Breau, this policewoman and mother stabbed last week in Louiseville.¹

This is also the case of the death of the suspect, Isaac Brouillard Lessard, a sick and violent 35-year-old man, who was later shot dead by the police.

These two deaths were not only written in the sky, but also practically announced in black and white in official documents.

The Mental Disorder Review Commission responsible for evaluating Mr. Brouillard Lessard wrote that it was “convinced that the accused still represents, because of his mental state, a significant security risk”.

She also said she was “convinced of the likelihood that the accused would engage in criminal behavior resulting in physical or psychological harm that […] may[nt] be serious[s] “.

To predict the future, we can say that the Commission has done an excellent job. But to prevent its disastrous consequences, it failed miserably. Because despite the known and documented risks, despite his numerous violent recurrences, Mr. Brouillard Lessard was free.

This raises pressing questions, especially since the case is not unique. Last summer, a man with mental health issues who was also identified as a “significant risk to public safety” allegedly killed three people in Montreal.

This case touches on a difficult issue: what to do with people who commit crimes, but who cannot be held accountable because of their mental problems?

Jail is not their place. If they represent too great a danger to society, they must be placed in an institution. Otherwise, they can be released under certain conditions, for example close psychiatric monitoring.

It is the Commission for the Review of Mental Disorders, a Quebec administrative tribunal, which decides these questions.

Cases like that of Isaac Brouillard Lessard show that individuals who have been identified as dangerous are either released too easily or poorly monitored once released.

How to prevent other tragedies? Unfortunately, Quebec and Ottawa pass the buck instead of proposing solutions.

Quebec says the Mental Disorder Review Board must base its decisions on the Criminal Code. To tighten the criteria for release, believes Quebec, it would therefore be necessary to review the Criminal Code, a federal responsibility.

The provinces have also put pressure on Ottawa in a similar file: that of bail. We are not talking here about people suffering from mental disorders, but about released individuals awaiting trial.

Such individuals also committed crimes during these releases. Last January, the premiers of the 13 provinces and territories wrote to the federal Minister of Justice, David Lametti, to call for a tightening of the rules of release. He promised to look into it.

In Quebec, we are told that the discussion concerns the release of anyone posing a risk to society, including people found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder.

Another story in Ottawa, which swears that the demands of the provinces relate only to the release of individuals awaiting trial.

This ping pong is heartbreaking. We invite each level of government to lay down its racket and consider what can be done, within its own jurisdictions, to improve the safety of the public, front-line responders and people with mental health issues themselves. .

The Ordre des criminologues du Québec, for example, believes that the Mental Disorder Review Commission could take greater account of the “criminogenic needs” of the patients assessed, such as their drug addiction or their relationships with criminals, rather than only considering their mental health. in his decision.

Quebec must also examine whether, once an individual is conditionally released, the resources are sufficient to monitor him adequately.

As for the federal government, we have seen that it has shown itself to be open to amending the Criminal Code to tighten releases for people awaiting trial. In the process, he could examine whether similar changes could help tighten the release of individuals suffering from mental disorders who have committed crimes.

The deaths of Maureen Breau and Isaac Brouillard Lessard must bring about change.