Quebec detention facilities are slow to change their intervention methods with the most vulnerable incarcerated people, despite a new approach proposed by the Ministry of Internal Security (MSI) since 2020.
This is what an investigation by the Quebec Ombudsman, Marc-André Dowd, made public on Wednesday, reveals about the management of complex cases in prisons under Quebec jurisdiction.
Coercive interventions, or the so-called “security” approach, still prevail to respond to violent or aggressive behavior by inmates with complex needs, which may be related to mental health issues, addiction, intellectual disability, or exposure to violence during childhood.
The “security approach” refers in particular to the use by correctional officers of handcuffs or chains around the waist or feet, isolation or the use of physical force.
“At the conclusion of our investigation, we find that the MSI’s intervention model is not actually being implemented and that the security approach remains the main response to behavioral reactions that reflect complex needs,” said Dowd at a press conference at the National Assembly.
Instead of “calming or regulating behavioral reactions that reflect complex needs, the coercive approach often promotes repetition or escalation of behaviors, putting the entire prison environment at risk,” the ombudsman concludes in his report.
“For people with complex needs, the security approach is dehumanizing because it is poorly adapted to their situation,” Dowd told the media.
In his report, he cites cases of incarcerated individuals with various disorders, mild intellectual disabilities, or schizophrenia.
He writes that these women “are placed in prolonged isolation, up to several months, without alternative measures,” which aggravates their symptoms or problematic behaviors.
Adopting a “psychosocial approach”
The protector, who acts as correctional ombudsman for Quebec, advocates a “psychosocial approach” that can complement coercive interventions.
“We understand that in certain situations, particularly in emergencies, coercive measures are necessary. However, the psychosocial approach offers another avenue, based on the desire to understand the incarcerated person and to support their adaptation to the prison environment,” Dowd argued at a press conference.
“In our view, security and psychosocial approaches must complement each other to provide a more appropriate response to complex cases and minimize risks for the entire community,” he added.
The intervention model developed in 2020 by the ministry was intended to allow correctional facilities to adapt their traditional approach to meet the new, more complex profile of the prison population. Its objective is to support individuals with complex needs and provide facilities with tools to improve their interventions, the ombudsman emphasized.
However, the Ministry of Internal Security “proposed an option without assuming the leadership necessary for its implementation,” the ombudsman said.
“Currently, it is up to the directors of detention facilities to demonstrate their interest and openness to the approach and to mobilize staff. Finally, the approach is poorly defined, which offers no real alternative to the security approach,” the report reads.
Dowd nevertheless reports in his investigation “encouraging examples” in two detention facilities, which have implemented alternative interventions.
“These teams have observed positive outcomes, both for the incarcerated person, the fellow inmates, and the staff. In addition, their interventions often make it possible to avoid the need for the emergency team by calming outbursts of aggression,” said Dowd.
In his report, the Ombudsman makes 17 recommendations to the ministry “in order to support the change towards a culture of humanizing intervention”.
Specifically, it proposes improving the existing intervention model and facilitating its implementation through tools, staff training, and the sharing of information and best practices among institutions. It also suggests establishing a structured framework for its intervention model.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
