Mentally ill offenders are falling through the cracks in Canada's federal prisons, according to a new report from the Office of the Correctional Investigator. (CBC)

Mentally ill offenders in Canada are simply being "warehoused" in federal prisons because of a lack of funding for services and gaps in accountability, says a report from the Office of the Correctional Investigator.

The needs of mentally ill offenders in custody exceed the current capacity of the Correctional Service of Canada, according to the report released Thursday.

"Canadian penitentiaries are becoming the largest psychiatric facilities in the country," said Howard Saper, correctional investigator of Canada.

"The Correctional Service of Canada assumes a legal duty of care to provide required mental health services, including clinical treatment and intervention. In failing to meet this legal obligation, too many mentally disordered offenders are simply being warehoused in federal penitentiaries. This is not effective or safe corrections."

Commissioned by the correctional investigator, the expert report entitled Under Warrant: A Review of the Implementation of the Correctional Service of Canada's Mental Health Strategy was written by John Service, former chief operating officer of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

In reviewing offender access to mental health services, the report found that the intermediate care component of the correctional service's mental health strategy has not yet been implemented due to a lack of funding. Offenders requiring intermediate care fall between those needing primary care and acute inpatient care.

The goal was to care for such inmates at intermediate care units in the correctional service's five regional psychiatric facilities, which would safely manage offenders while in custody and assist them in maintaining regular institutional routines.

Moreover, a significant number of inmates suffering from mental illness are "falling through the cracks" as they do not meet the admission criteria at psychiatric hospitals, the report said.

Currently, these offenders are often managed in segregation units where they can be isolated for prolonged periods of time, a practice that is "unsafe and inhumane," Saper said.

Among the recommendations Saper made based on the report are that the correctional service should:

• Fund implementation of its mental health strategy, with a particular focus on intermediate care.
• Develop mental health service delivery partnerships with the provinces and territories.
• Enhance its support of the development of a national strategy for corrections and mental health, with a focus on care guidelines.