Correctional Investigator Receives President's Commendation from Canadian
Psychiatric Association for Role in Defending Rights of Mentally Ill
Offenders

TORONTO, Sept. 26 /CNW Telbec/ - Last night Mr. Howard Sapers, the Correctional Investigator of Canada, was honoured with a Presidential Commendation from the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) for his longstanding advocacy role in defending the rights of mentally ill offenders, an often neglected population. He received his award at the CPA Annual Conference in Toronto.

"Mr. Sapers has made the plight of the mentally ill in Canadian prisons a priority throughout his mandate. His office has made strong and practical recommendations to Correctional Services Canada and he is persistent in bringing this otherwise hidden issue to the attention of Parliament and the public," said Dr. Stanley Yaren, President of the Canadian Psychiatric Association.

Mental health is the number one area of concern in the latest report of the Correctional Investigator. The report underscored how prevalent mental health problems are in the prison system. Estimates of the prevalence of mental disorders in some regions run as high as 39 per cent. The report noted 20 per cent of inmates are on psychiatric medication when they enter prison and that female offenders are twice as likely as males to have a psychiatric diagnosis on admission with over 30 per cent having a history of psychiatric hospitalization. The report also focused on self harm and deaths in custody, many of which are the result of suicide.

Since the closing of mental hospitals and the advent deinstitutionalization in the 60s and 70s, great advances have been made in providing community-based mental health services but this unfortunately has been insufficient to meet the needs of the mentally ill. Over the past three or four decades there has been a steady increase in the numbers of individuals with severe mental disorders in the prison system.

"Prisons have become the new asylums and the promise of deinstitutionalization leading to improved quality of life has instead led to criminalization of the mentally ill for many individuals," said Dr. Stanley Yaren, President of the Canadian Psychiatric Association. "Prisons were never designed to be treatment facilities. Those vulnerable persons carrying the burden of mental disorder are often victimized by other inmates or because of lack of resources to deal effectively with aberrant behavior are subjected to prolonged periods of isolation and segregation. Many attempt suicide and some die."

Dr. Yaren is also the Director of the Adult Forensic Psychiatry Program for Manitoba and the Winnipeg Region Health Authority and serves as the Deputy Clinical Head of the Mental Health Program of the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre. He specializes in Forensic Psychiatry, a branch of psychiatry concerned with the intersection of mental illness and the law.

The Office of the Correctional investigator of Canada serves as the ombudsman for individuals incarcerated within the facilities of Correctional Services of Canada. The office is responsible for dealing with both individual complaints and systemic issues. It provides a voice to those who otherwise go unheard.

The Canadian Psychiatric Association is the national voice for Canada's 4,100 psychiatrists and more than 600 psychiatric residents. Founded in 1951, the CPA is dedicated to promoting an environment that fosters excellence in the provision of clinical care, education and research.

For further information: Hélène Côté, Canadian Psychiatric Association, Tel: [phone] or [email protected]