The ombudsman’s office for Canada’s correctional system has repeatedly identified serious problems with mental health care in its penitentiaries. However, Correctional Service Canada (CSC) has not implemented most recommendations for addressing the root causes of those problems.
Dr. Ivan Zinger was the speaker during a December 2026 session of the International Forensic Psychiatry Lecture Series. He discussed his most recent annual report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI), covering the 2024–25 fiscal year, which the OCI released weeks earlier.
“While we have achieved significant success in resolving individual complaints, many of our recommendations for systemic reform have too often been disregarded or dismissed by” Correctional Service Canada (CSC), Dr. Zinger wrote in that report.
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