2023-09-01 04:00:00
Supporting an inmate at the Sept-Îles prison costs Quebec taxpayers nearly $1,900 a day, four times more than the average for all prisons in the province. An aberration, according to specialists.
“These expenses are aberrant”, slice without hesitation the criminologist Philippe Bensimon, who has written several books on the prison universe.
Expenses for each inmate at the Sept-Îles prison have increased by more than 50% over the past three years, according to data from the Ministry of Public Security (MSP) obtained by our Bureau of Investigation.
The Sept-Îles detention facility ARCHIVE PHOTO, QMI AGENCY
Already exorbitant at $1,244 per day in 2019-2020, they climbed to $1,896 per day in 2022-2023, which places Sept-Îles far ahead of all other prisons in Quebec. By way of comparison, the same inmate costs $579 per day at the Leclerc prison in Laval, which ranks second among the most expensive prisons per inmate. For the whole province, the average cost of an inmate per day is $496.
Average cost of an inmate per day in Sept-Îles
2022-2023: 1896$
2021-2022: 1463$
2020-2021: 1472$
2019-2020: 1244$
A half-empty prison
Remember that the inauguration of the Sept-Îles prison was done in controversy, in 2017, when $ 91 million was injected into this hypermodern establishment, equipped with plasma televisions and stainless steel appliances.
To do their washing, the inmates have sets of front-mounted HD washer-dryers in each accommodation sector. ARCHIVE PHOTO, QMI AGENCY
At the Sept-Îles prison, each accommodation sector includes a kitchenette with dishwasher, microwave, toaster and kettle that the inmates share in small groups. ARCHIVE PHOTO, QMI AGENCY
The prison has 55 places, but only houses an average of 26 inmates, according to ministry documents. The prison had to close one of its wings last fall because of a serious shortage of correctional officers.
“We built a prison without having planned the costs. The government is squandering tax payers’ money,” complains Nicolas Gagnon, director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Nicolas Gagnon, Quebec Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Photo from FCC website
“This establishment produces nothing and contributes nothing to society. […] We might simply have sent these detainees elsewhere, ”adds expert Philippe Bensimon, who has assessed more than 1,000 incarcerated individuals.
Average cost of an inmate per day in Quebec
2022-2023: 496$
2021-2022: 457$
2020-2021: 493$
2019-2020: 412$
At the MSP, the disproportionate costs of Sept-Îles are justified in particular by the high cost of rent. This rent of $718,000 per month – therefore $8.6 million per year – is paid to the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI), which is also provincial.
“The cost of rent at the Sept-Îles detention facility alone represents 60% of expenses,” said spokesperson Louise Quintin, who added that the small prison capacity of the place increases the cost per detained.
No more services
Beyond the costs for the Côte-Nord prison, it is the general increase in prison spending in recent years that is also of concern. Expenditures reached $607 million for 2022-2023, up 25% over three years.
“However, there are no more services for social reintegration”, raises the prison lawyer, Me Mélanie Martel.
Annual costs of Quebec prisons
2022-2023: $607.4 million 2021-2022: $518.2 million 2020-2021: $498.9 million 2019-2020: $486.9 million
Source: Ministry of Public Security
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