A first-of-its-kind study in B.C. highlights how our safety nets are failing tens of thousands of the province’s most vulnerable people. Author of the article: Nathan Griffiths Photo by Nathan Griffiths/Postmedia B.C.’s prison system has become a health and addiction system of last resort, according to a new study from SFU , which found that three-quarters of people admitted to B.C. prisons in 2017 suffered from addiction or mental health issues — up from 61 per cent in 2009. Advertisement This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Complex care cases — people with a combination of addiction and mental health needs — more than doubled in the same time period, from 15 to 32 per cent. That’s approximately 10 times the national average, estimated at between two and four per cent. “This is a multiple systems failure that we’re seeing,” said Amanda Butler, lead author of the study. “I think a lot of these folks have been failed by every other service system before they come into contact with the criminal justice system.” The study analyzed the health assessment files of every person admitted to a B.C. prison between 2009 and 2017. It is the first population-wide study…
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75 per cent of people sent to B.C. prisons struggle with addiction, mental health: study …
