Psychiatry in the federal correctional system in Canada

Colin Cameron; Najat Khalifa; Andrew Bickle; Hira Safdar; Tariq Hassan

doi:10.1192/bji.2020.56

Psychiatry in the federal correctional system in Canada

BJPsych Int. 2021 May;18(2):42-46. doi: 10.1192/bji.2020.56.

Authors

Colin Cameron¹, Najat Khalifa², Andrew Bickle³, Hira Safdar⁴, Tariq Hassan⁵

Affiliations

¹ Correctional Service Canada/Government of Canada, FRCPC, National Senior Psychiatrist, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
² MD, Associate Professor in Forensic Psychiatry, Queen's University Department of Psychiatry, Providence Care Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
³ MRCPsych, Assistant Professor in Forensic Psychiatry, Queen's University Department of Psychiatry, Providence Care Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ MBBS, Assistant Professor, Victoria Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada.
⁵ FRCPC (Forensic Psychiatry), Divisional Chair and Clinical Director, Queen's University Department of Psychiatry, Providence Care Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Email: hassant@providencecare.ca.

Abstract

The unique challenges of the correctional healthcare environment are well-documented. Access to community-equivalent care, voluntary informed consent of offenders with mental disorder, violence risk, suicide risk, medication misuse, and clinical seclusion, confinement and segregation are just a few of the challenges faced by correctional psychiatric services. This paper shares experiences for dealing with the ongoing challenges for psychiatrists working in the field. It provides an overview of the current state of mental healthcare in the federal correctional system in Canada, the legislative framework and initiatives aimed at addressing the healthcare needs of federal inmates.

Keywords: Canada; Corrections; mental health; prison; psychiatry.

Publication types

Review