Marked increase of 87% in deaths in Quebec prisons

(Montreal) Deaths in Quebec prisons have increased by 87% in 13 years, reveals a research report published Wednesday by a team from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM).

Research led by Catherine Chesnay, professor at the UQAM School of Social Work, made it possible to analyze data from the Ministry of Public Security from 2009 to 2022. This showed that 256 inmates lost their lives in provincial establishments during this period.

The research report lists conditions that put prisoners at risk: the dilapidation of establishments, overcrowding, numerous transfers, abusive use of isolation, the crumbling of social bonds and the difficulty of maintaining contact with loved ones. , as well as the lower quality of physical and mental health care.

The data indicates that 98 deaths occurred by suicide, which represents 38% of all deaths recorded. A significant increase was observed during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when detention conditions were particularly restrictive. The report also mentions 411 suicide attempts.

In an interview, Professor Chesnay said she was not surprised by the increase in suicide rates in prisons at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, considering data from other jurisdictions and the state of prisons. provincial governments during the first waves of confinement. “On the other hand, the intensity is still something that surprised and shocked me, I think like many people. »

Deaths classified as natural deaths represent 33% of the data recorded and 28% of prisoners died of undetermined causes.

Natural deaths are caused by illnesses or a complication of illness, explains the researcher. These illnesses do not necessarily lead to death usually. Especially, she said, considering that young men, approximately 25 to 40 years old, make up the largest group of incarcerated people. “So it’s not a population where you would expect there to be significant death rates, whether it’s natural deaths or suicides,” Ms.^me Chesnay.

The Ontario Coroner’s Office published research in 2023 to better understand the increase in deaths in custody, and one of the issues that emerged concerns the opioid crisis, mentioned M^me Chesnay. There was an increase in opioid overdoses causing death in Ontario prisons. As the opioid crisis also hits Quebec, the researcher wonders if cases of overdoses are not hidden in the category of undetermined deaths.

“If there is an overdose crisis in prisons, why don’t we give ourselves the tools to make it visible? » asked the researcher.

Not the same access to health care

There are difficulties in accessing health care inside prisons, but also outside, for example in accessing an oncology service.

“The reports from the Public Protector and also what is reported by people who have experiences of incarceration [indiquent] that it is really difficult to access adequate health care in the prison, but also outside the prison walls,” said Mr.^me Chesnay, adding that we must equip ourselves with the tools to avoid these deaths.

Since 2006, the Québec Ombudsman has raised the lack of guidelines during prisoner transfers, particularly in relation to the continuation of medical treatments. During each admission, access to medication is interrupted and people must wait 48 hours after their arrival to have access to it again.

Professor Chesnay indicates that the living environment, hygiene and overcrowding issues in provincial prisons are part of a set of causes that can lead to deaths. “There are very concrete issues of discomfort, lack of care and pain relief. The figures, what they bring us, is also the question: what does dying in prison mean and what is this experience? »

M^me Chesnay emphasizes in a press release that regardless of the nature of the death, “each death in prison is one death too many.” She maintains that each death “should be systematically recorded and taken into consideration by the prison institution” in order to prevent other prisoners from dying.

“However, the lack of transparency and monitoring of the phenomenon of deaths in prison, despite the increase in the number of deaths, says a lot about the political positioning and the lack of rigor with which these events are taken into account,” argues Professor Chesnay.

The League of Rights and Freedoms denounces the opacity and lack of action by the Ministry of Public Security. In a press release, she asserts that it is absurd that the ministry does not provide any information to explain the classification “death of undetermined cause”, which concerns 71 of the deaths listed. “It is also necessary to understand what leads so many people to attempt suicide during their incarceration,” adds the organization.

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