Nearly three-quarters of individuals in federal prisons report mental health symptoms, with 12 percent having serious conditions, a Senate committee has heard.
“Roughly 70% of individuals admitted to federal custody report mental health symptoms,”
said the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), as first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter. “Of those admitted to federal custody, 36% meet the criteria for a diagnosis of a mental disorder; and 12% meet the criteria for a serious mental illness.”
The report followed CSC Assistant Commissioner Tony Matson’s
testimony before the Senate national finance committee on Sept. 24 regarding mental health assessment and how the agency uses government funding for related programs.
Senator Joan Kingston, former president of the Nurses Association of New Brunswick, asked about mental health programs in prisons, particularly for those nearing release. “We don’t want people reoffending, and sometimes they seem to be set up to do exactly that.”
In response, Matson said, “A complete assessment of all of our offenders is a key priority for us because it helps both with their time in our institutions, their rehabilitation, and then ultimately their reintegration into the community, so it’s of prime importance.”
The CSC provides mental health services in federal institutions, receiving an additional $74 million a year that is used in part to connect with outside psychiatric support, according to Assistant Commissioner Marie Doyle who
testified before the Senate Human Rights Committee in February.
“At the same time, we’ve also been able to augment our in‑house capacity in terms of clinical social workers and nurses to better address the whole person, including the mental health needs of offenders who are within our care,” Doyle said.
Of the $74 million in government funding, $10.9 million is allocated for psychiatric services, Matson said in a
separate report to the Senate.
“This funding was used to ensure an adequate complement of contract psychiatrists at designated sites. We have successfully filled 86% of positions allocated in the previous years, including healthcare staff in the RTCs, professional practice leads, and health staff in regular institutions,” the report stated.
The remaining funds support health-care staff in regional treatment centres, nursing services at 10 locations, and health staff in regular institutions.
The government has long expressed concerns about the correlation between substance abuse and mental health among offenders, noting that
80 percent of individuals in federal facilities have substance abuse issues.
In a
2022 report, the CSC noted that many prisoners are lifetime drug users, especially men. A survey of 34,202 men sentenced to federal penitentiaries between 2006 and 2019 found that 91 percent of indigenous prisoners, 79 percent of white prisoners, and 51 percent of black prisoners reported having used drugs throughout their life.
