On the morning of World Suicide Prevention Day 2014, the Correctional Investigator of Canada, Howard Sapers, released a new report: A Three Year Review of Federal Inmate Suicides (2011-2014). The report provides some stark statistics:
- The suicide rate among inmates in federal prisons is 7 times higher than that in the general population
- Suicide accounts for about 20 percent of all deaths in custody in any given year
- On average, 10 inmates die by suicide in a given year, half of who were in segregation or solitary confinement at the time
The report was prompted by several issues identified by the Office of the Correctional
Investigator of Canada including:
- The disproportionate number of suicides that occur in segregation cells
- Findings from high profile inquests
- The lack of monitoring and reporting on inmate suicides since 2011 by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC)
- The April 2014 decision to stop conducting suicide risk screening for first-time federal inmates being transfer from provincial custody
The report reviewed 30 cases of suicide from 2011 to 2014 and also looked at the current literature, the assessment of the CSC’s suicide awareness and prevention strategy and findings from inquests. Sapers provides 10 recommendations, including:
- Removing all known suspension points in segregation cells across Canada
- Prohibiting long-term segregation of inmates with serious mental health issues and inmates who are self-injurious or suicidal as outlined in existing policy
- Publically responding to previous and the current report’s findings and recommendations
Including a practical focus on mental health issues and concerns in all staff training across the CSC
To read the full report and recommendations, click here.