Deaths in Custody

In a ten year period from 2001-2002 to 2010-2011, 530 offenders died in federal custody from a range of known causes, including natural death, suicide, accident and homicide. During this period, suicides accounted for 17.4% (or 92 deaths) of all federal offender deaths. Another 5.5% (or 29 deaths) were homicides. The suicide rate is approximately 70 per 100,000 for federally incarcerated offenders, which is 6 times higher than Canada's 2009 rate of 11.5 suicides per 100,000 people. The homicide rate for incarcerated federal offenders was approximately 22 per 100,000, compared to the national homicide rate of 1.6 per 100,000 in 2007. (2011 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistic Overview) There were 5 inmate homicides in FY 2010-11.

Issues of Concern

The Office continues its focus on identifying and addressing factors of continuing challenge in preventing deaths in custody:

• Response to medical emergencies
• Sharing of information between clinical and front-line staff
• Monitoring of suicide pre-indicators
• Quality and frequency of security patrols, rounds and counts
• Management of mentally ill offenders
• Quality of internal investigative reports and processes
• Natural deaths and mortality review

Reports & Recommendations

• Annual Report 2014-2015 (HTML) (PDF, 2mb)
  • Prevention of Deaths in Custody
  Annual Report 2013-2014 (HTML) (PDF, 5mb)
  • Deaths in Custody
• A Three Year Review of Federal Inmate Suicides (2011-2014) Final Report (HTML) (PDF, 2mb)
  
  • News Release (HTML)
  • Backgrounder (HTML)
• An Investigation of the Correctional Service of Canada’s Mortality Review Process (HTML) (PDF, 365kb)
  • News Release (HTML)
  • Backgrounder (HTML)
• Annual Report 2012-2013 (HTML) (PDF, 744kb)
  • Deaths in Custody
• Annual Report 2011-2012 (HTML) (PDF, 1.4mb)
  • Deaths in Custody - OCI Recommendations & CSC Responses
• Annual Report 2010-2011 (HTML) (PDF, 2.1mb)
  • Deaths in Custody - OCI Recommendations & CSC Responses
• Annual Report 2009-2010 (HTML) (PDF, 2mb)
  • Deaths in Custody - OCI Recommendations & CSC Responses
• Annual Report 2008-2009 (HTML) (PDF, 2mb)
  • Deaths in Custody
• Quarterly Assessments of the Correctional Service of Canada's Response to Deaths in Custody Reports and Investigations
  • Backgrounder: Correctional Investigator's Assessment of the Correctional Service of Canada's Progress in Responding to Deaths in Custody (September 2009) (HTML)
  • Initial Assessment (September 2009) (HTML) - CSC Response
  • 2nd Quarter Assessment (December 2009) (HTML) - CSC Response
  • 3rd Quarter Assessment (March 2010) (HTML) - CSC Response
  • Final Assessment (September 2010) (HTML) (PDF, 134kb) - CSC Response
• A Preventable Death (June 2008) (HTML) (PDF, 112kb)
  • Backgrounder: A Preventable Death (HTML)
• Report on the circumstances surrounding The Death of a Federal Inmate - A Failure to Respond (May 2008) (HTML) (PDF, 69kb)
  
  
• Deaths in Custody Study (February 2007) (HTML) (PDF, 149kb)
  
  

In the Media

• Ashley Smith : témoignage d’un pilote qui menaçait de lui coller la bouche (in French), Radio Canada (April 18, 2013)
  
  
• Corrections Canada changes rules for medical emergencies after inmate’s death The Globe and Mail (April 11, 2013)
  
  
• Behind the Wall: A closer Look at the Death of Ashley Smith, Fifth Estate (originally broadcast November 12, 2010)
  
  
• Ashley Smith's sedations in custody unwarranted: report, CBC (November 1, 2010)
  
  
• Une critique sévère (in French), Radio Canada (September 8, 2010)
  
  
• Medical response in jails still seen as problem, CBC News (September 8, 2010)
  
  
• Did nine other inmates die like Ashley Smith?, The Star (September 6, 2010)
  
  
• Les services correctionnels sont blâmés pour la mort d'une jeune détenue (in French), La Presse Canadienne (March 03, 2009)
  
  
• Jail cell death of N.B. teen 'entirely preventable': report, CBC (March 3, 2009)