An inmate from the Rivière-des-Prairies prison with a violent past has been charged with hostage-taking after having kidnapped and assaulted another prisoner on March 29.
Steven Godin Charlish, 33, is not his first violent act in prison. On March 29, in Rivière-des-Prairies, he locked himself in his cell, taking hostage Shawn Lefebvre Chavennes, another inmate. He would also have attacked him physically, according to our information.
The cause of this excessive aggressiveness: adulterated alcohol had been seized from him and had snuck in between the prison walls.
Mr. Godin Charlish will have to answer for his actions. He was charged in early May with hostage taking and assault against the two peace officers. He was also charged with mischief for attacking the security camera.
Violent recidivism
In 2016, this same inmate had threatened a correctional officer in the prison of Sept-Îles, on the North Shore. He had kidnapped him for three hours, with the help of an accomplice.
He had pleaded guilty a few months later to counts of conspiracy, assault with injury and breaking prison with the intention of recovering his freedom.
The president of the Union of peace officers in correctional services of Quebec Mathieu Lavoie had denounced to The Press lack of security for correctional officers.
“It’s a reality that we see more and more in corrections, where we give a lot of generosity to incarcerated people despite their past of violence,” lamented Mr. Lavoie.