Correctional Investigator's 2024-25 Annual Report calls for significant reform of mental health care services in federal corrections

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 12, 2025 /CNW/ - The 2024-25 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator was tabled in Parliament on October 30, 2025. The Office's 52^nd Annual Report presents the findings of six national investigations into the quality and accessibility of mental health care services in federal corrections.

"There is no question: lack of access to timely, adequate, and appropriate mental health care is a human rights issue. Based on our investigations, it is abundantly clear that CSC is fundamentally ill-equipped to provide long-term mental health care to individuals with serious mental illness, including those experiencing acute psychiatric distress, suicidal ideation, and chronic self-injury," stated the Correctional Investigator, Dr. Ivan Zinger.

The Office reports that five Regional Treatment Centres (RTC) operated by CSC fall significantly below the standards expected of therapeutic or psychiatric hospital settings. Many are outdated and ill-equipped to meet the complex needs of individuals with serious mental illness and are increasingly functioning as holding centres for an aging and medically vulnerable prison population, rather than places of care, treatment, and recovery. As Dr. Zinger noted:

"We are seeing a system that was never designed to meet the needs of those with serious mental illness, and it shows. These facilities have instead become warehouses for vulnerable and aging individuals, where outdated infrastructure and security-first approaches undermine the care, dignity, and recovery of patients."

The findings demonstrate that security-driven responses continue to take precedence over clinical care, with troubling examples of force being used, including pepper spray, to interrupt acts of self-injury or subdue individuals in crisis. The same holds true for the inconsistent application of policy surrounding the use of severe measures such as Pinel restraints and suicide watches. Regional Treatment Centres fall short of community psychiatric hospital standards of care, despite official designation and accreditation. The ineffectiveness of these facilities, whose doors appear to simply revolve, is exemplified by half of its patients returning, unable to adjust to standard penitentiaries. Zinger further stated:

"I've called on CSC and the Government of Canada to fundamentally reform how mental health care is delivered in federal corrections. Rather than committing $1.3 billion to new standalone infrastructure on the grounds of Dorchester penitentiary, those with serious mental illness must be transferred to community-based hospitals that can provide the specialized care they need. CSC should neither be in the business of caring for acute mentally ill patients nor individuals who are palliative and dying."

The Office's examination of CSC's approach to supporting individuals with cognitive deficits also revealed significant gaps. Outdated and vague policies offer little practical guidance to staff, while ineffective screening tools mean many individuals are overlooked entirely. As a result, federally incarcerated individuals do not have access to proper assessments and services, and end up being placed in higher security institutions and experience delays in accessing parole. The CSC erroneously associates cognitive deficits with ill-motives, anti-social behaviours, security risk, and requiring discipline.

Outside the prison walls, federally sentenced individuals with significant mental health needs are also being left behind. The investigation revealed that community mental health services have been steadily eroded by flawed assessments, poor coordination between institutions and community providers, and a funding model that has not kept pace with inflation or the growing demand for services. As a result of grossly inadequate and dysfunctional clinical discharge practices, many individuals lose access to care abruptly upon release and face serious barriers to reintegration – including disruption of medication, lack of identification, and unstable housing – which are especially challenging for those with mental health needs. This, in turn, poses a risk to public safety, as patients are released without key documentation and proper resources to be able to access essential services.

Three additional investigations revealed persistent gaps in federal corrections. These include stagnant progress in Therapeutic Ranges and the provision of intermediate mental health care, inadequate trauma-informed care for women, and a lack of culturally appropriate mental health services for Indigenous prisoners. 

The report contains a total of 21 recommendations: 19 directed to the CSC and two directed to the Minister of Public Safety. Key recommendations include:

• The Government of Canada/Minister of Public Safety should reconsider its recent $1.3 billion investment in a replacement facility for RTC Atlantic. Instead, efforts and funding should be redirected to facilitating the transfer of individuals with serious mental illness to provincial psychiatric hospitals.
• Reprofile Regional Treatment Centres as Intermediate Mental Health Care facilities with some emergency services.
• Establish dedicated policies and governance structures for RTCs, ensuring health-related decisions are made by clinical staff rather than Wardens or operational staff.
• The Minister of Public Safety undertake a review of release options, such as medical or geriatric parole, for aging and long-serving individuals in custody who do not pose an undue risk to public safety. Additionally, CSC is encouraged to invest in expanding community-based correctional infrastructure, with a focus on long-term care, hospice, and retirement home settings, with a view toward creating 200 beds in five years.
• Improve the institutional infrastructure in RTCs, Therapeutic Ranges and intermediate mental health care settings to support a more therapeutic environment.
• Identify and implement a consistent, comprehensive, timely and standardized approach to the screening and assessment of individuals with cognitive deficits.
• Develop and implement an evidence-based, comprehensive strategy for trauma-informed services and trauma-specific treatment for federally sentenced women.

As the ombudsman for federally sentenced offenders, the Office of the Correctional Investigator serves Canadians and contributes to safe, lawful, and humane corrections through independent oversight of the CSC by providing accessible, impartial, and timely investigation of individual and systemic concerns. The 2024-25 Annual Report and a comprehensive backgrounder are available at www.oci-bec.gc.ca.

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"My last annual report as Correctional Investigator focuses on mental health services in prisons, an issue that has been a preoccupation of mine from the outset of my professional career. The findings presented in this report reaffirm our long-standing position: CSC should not be in the business of delivering specialized long-term acute psychiatric care. How we care for these individuals reflects who we are as Canadians. It is my expectation that the recommendations in this annual report prompt meaningful reform and a renewed commitment to uphold the dignity and human rights of individuals in CSC custody."

-       Dr. Ivan Zinger, Correctional Investigator

SOURCE Office of the Correctional Investigator

Valerie Phillips, Executive Director, Email: [email protected]