Recently release northern Ont. inmates face drug poisoning risk 50x average: report

Released inmates in northern Ontario face 50-times higher drug poisoning risk than general population, a new report says.

Inmates in northern Ontario, who are moving from custody to community are more susceptible to drug poisoning – at least according to a new report from the John Howard Society of Ontario.

“Really trying to ground this work and this research in remembrance that behind every statistic is a human life,” said Safiyah Husein, the organization’s director of policy and one of the researchers on the project.

The report called Northern Toll speaks about the toxic drug crisis and the devastating impact it’s had on northern Ontario. The results found that toll is even higher for those just released from incarceration.

“The risk of drug-related death is 50-times higher in the period post release than that of the general population,” Husein said.

“This is an issue that’s really impacting people’s lives and costing a huge human toll.”

The report focused on drug poisonings in northern Ontario and the connection to the correctional population.

Husein said the period immediately following release from custody is a high-risk window for toxic drug overdoses and deaths.

“People may be released without medication continuity, they might not have transportation, they might just have the clothes on their back that they were incarcerated or arrested in – which may not even be seasonally appropriate,” said Husein.

Front-line workers and those with lived experience from Sudbury, Sault Ste Marie and Thunder Bay were interviewed and data collected. Husein said these communities were chosen because of their high rates of opioid toxicity deaths.

The results found gaps in support like treatment options, detox services, supportive housing, primary care and sustained funding for programming.

Those challenges are echoed by locals working to help and support these individuals.

In an email to CTV News, the executive director of the John Howard Society in Sault Ste. Marie, Jackie Martin said the results were not shocking but the death rates were alarming.

“Locally, we hope that with the addition of two Hart Hubs within the Sault Ste. Marie and District area, we can help individuals access supports in a quicker manner. Offering a more wrap around approach through the community partners involved,” she wrote.

Martin told CTV News she wants to see safe transitional housing from custody into the community such as ‘justice beds,’ as well as quicker access to detox and treatment beds. She adds that this would include accepting an individual’s application for treatment for their release date and not making them wait until they’re released to start the application process.

Paul Capon is a political advisor for the Matawa First Nation near Thunder Bay. He also sits as the co-chair with the Community Reintegration Planning Table, which works for those leaving corrections.

“All of our communities have been dramatically impacted by prescription drugs and opioids and different types of illegal substances and the criminal element that is devastating our First Nations,” he said.

The report shows Indigenous people coming out of jail are nearly 30 times more likely to die from drug poisoning than Indigenous people who’ve never been behind bars.

Capon links that to systemic barriers and limited access.

“The end result is that corrections, the courts and police are the backstop for the mental health and addictions system,” he said.

“If there aren’t the pieces within the justice sector and the health sector to help you that has real risks for the future and the impacts on our child welfare system our families, in communities it will be even greater.”

The report -including its recommendations has been forwarded to the provincial government.

In an email provincial spokesperson Saddam Khussain said:

“The Ministry of the Solicitor General works with community partners, municipalities, and other organizations to support the transition of individuals released from custody. This includes arranging travel to their home communities and establishing connections with third-party supports, as well as treatment services. … Additionally, our government is investing a historic $560 million to build 29 Homeless and Addictions Recovery Treatment Hubs across Ontario, including 5 located in northern Ontario, connecting more people than ever before with a path to recovery.”

“In addition to these hubs, we are providing $3.8 billion through the Roadmap to Wellness, and $124 million through the Addictions Recovery Fund, to expand access to mental health and addiction support services, including building 500 new addiction recovery beds, over half of which are located in the North, while also investing over $230 million for mental health and addictions services in northern Ontario for, ensuring that people are accessing the care that they need,” the statement continued.

And a statement from Sara-Jane Berghammer, CEO of the John Howard Society of Sudbury, said the report highlights the heightened risks in this part of the province.

“Our rates of toxic drug poisoning is considerably higher than the provincial average,” Berghammer said.

“This is concerning and speaks to the gaps and realities we face that are specific to the North. We continue to be concerned about the overrepresentation of Indigenous people and their continued criminalization.”

“Commitment is needed from all levels of government to understand the realities in the North and to create a plan to prevent toxic drug deaths, reduce recidivism and to work towards supporting successful reintegration,” she added.