A Thunder Bay advocate for people in custody applauds a call to action from the Canadian Psychiatric Association. The association said the number of people with mental illness in jail has reached crisis proportions.

Jail becoming a holding area for the mentally ill

Dr. Gary Chaimowitz, a spokesperson with the Canadian Psychiatric Association, said his group is “not suggesting that people be soft on crime.”

“If you commit a serious offence, there’s a debt to society that needs to be paid,” he said.

But what ends up happening is people with mental illness often get thrown into jail for petty crimes. He gives an example:

“Often people with major mental illnesses — and because of the homelessness that exists because of the lack of institutions — may be wandering around and may be sleeping in a local ATM to get some warmth in the winter, get charged with trespassing because they don’t want to move.”

The person is arrested for “a low level offence.”

“But because they’re mentally ill, they’re not going to get bail. And because they are mentally ill, they’re going to be kept inside the local jail. And because they’re mentally ill they’re not going to have access to treatment for a while — and they might refuse the medications that might be offered by the local mental health professionals.”

Chaimowitz noted these inmates are often placed in a segregation cell and, “if they are lucky, they will get out of that cell for one hour of the day. The guards, who are not trained to deal with this situation, might stick their heads in to offer medications. The person’s condition will continue to deteriorate.”

Liisa Leskowski, head of Thunder Bay's John Howard Society, said that, of the thousands of people who use its services, she estimates at least 40 per cent have mental health issues.

"It's a shame, I think, that ... we have failed those most vulnerable and most in need of health,” she said. "Unfortunately our jails are becoming institutions of last resort.”

Not enough services

Leskowski said there aren't enough services — including housing — for people suffering from mental illness. She noted many live in poverty, on the streets, and get into trouble and wind up in jail. That’s where their illness often becomes worse.

The Canadian Psychiatric Association is calling on the federal and provincial governments to change that. It said more funding is desperately needed for mental health treatment in custody.

“There are many things as a society we can do to provide appropriate care for people who are often the most marginalized and stigmatized in society,” said Dr. Gary Chaimowitz, a spokesperson with the association.

Chaimowitz said he’s seen inmates with mental illness languish in segregation cells because corrections staff have no other way to deal with them.

"It can be a horrific sight,” he said.

Leskowski said this call to action has been a long time coming and that mental illness should be treated as a health issue, not a crime. She said many inmates are there because they didn't get the help they needed in the community.

"There's such a huge gap within our health system to really properly address individuals with mental health concerns.”