Christmas Eve was dark for a correctional officer at the Quebec prison. Early in the evening, he was violently attacked by an inmate accused of sex crimes.
According to testimonies collected by The Sun, the prisoner violently headbutted his victim. He then grabbed the fingers of another agent “to break them”. During the intervention, the man allegedly tried to spit on several employees.
Only the first agent attacked retains physical aftereffects. “A concussion is suspected and he will have to miss work for a few days,” says a source.
Two similar events occurred a few days earlier, according to various detention center employees. The latter must remain anonymous because their employment contract prevents them from speaking in the media.
A bite that draws blood
On December 23, an inmate accused of armed assault attacked a correctional officer in the prison. During the altercation, the man “violently bit” the employee until he bled. He even tore a piece of flesh from his bicep.
Following this intervention, the officer had to go to a hospital center to receive treatment. His attacker accepted a blood sample to check if he had the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
“In Quebec, even in such an event, we need the consent of the incarcerated person to take blood,” denounces a correctional officer.
The inmate’s result came back positive. In the middle of the holiday season, prison employees must therefore begin triple therapy treatment to avoid being contaminated and the disease developing in their body.
The officer will need to take blood samples regularly over the next few days. According to his colleague, this event creates a lot of stress as well as a “loss of quality of life in his relationship and his family”.
Strangled
On December 18, a correctional officer was escorting an inmate to his cell when he was “sneakily” grabbed.
The criminal allegedly tried to strangle him by pushing him against the wall with both hands on his neck. Physical intervention by staff was necessary to put an end to the aggression.
“Although the employee escaped with no physical injury, the fact remains that it escalates the tension even more. These three events clearly represent the explosive atmosphere at the Quebec detention facility,” summarizes a correctional officer.
According to the latter, the frequency of this type of attack has increased significantly in 2024. Since the last year, they have occurred approximately once a week at the Quebec detention center.
“Three in seven days represents the deterioration of our conditions and it is much more than usual. We fear for our safety in our workplace.”
— A correctional officer from the Quebec Detention Center
Still according to this agent, the Quebec prison is the one where there are the most attacks against staff in the entire network in eastern Quebec.
-A “difficult” year
In 2024, violent events were particularly numerous in all prison establishments in the province.
“It’s been a difficult year. When we talk to our people on the floor, we see an increase in verbal violence, intimidation and physical violence,” explains Mathieu Lavoie, president of the correctional officers union.
Between April 1 and November 30, 2024, the Ministry of Public Security (MSP) recorded 33 serious assaults between inmates and one homicide.
As for attacks on staff, management recorded five events between April 1 and December 1, 2024. During the previous year, only three events were recorded.
However, only attacks causing serious injury or death are recorded by the ministry. Altercations like those that occurred during the holidays at the Quebec prison are not all counted in these statistics.
Growing tensions
The year 2024 was marked by the massive arrival of street gangs in the province’s prisons, as various large-scale police operations bore fruit.
Hells Angels, Blood Family Mafia, Montreal street gangs: all these allegiances and tensions complicate the work of the agents, who struggle to meet the demand.
Over the last three years, mandatory overtime has tripled, according to union president Mathieu Lavoie. “We notice that we have a major retention problem. We attract people, but we have trouble retaining our people and that affects the entire network.”
“Exceptional” events
According to the union, several events shook the correctional sector in 2024.
In February, street gang members entered the parking lot of the Saint-Jérôme detention facility and then set fire to a correctional officer’s car. “It’s quite exceptional,” notes Mr. Lavoie.
In December, the “savage” attack on a correctional officer in Sorel-Tracy sparked the consternation of officers across the province.
Numerous drone deliveries also kept staff busy throughout the year.
“The issues of smuggling have always been present, but are becoming more and more important and are inevitably influenced by the success of police operations in the fight against armed violence,” raises Louise Quintin, spokesperson for the MSP.
To limit the impacts of these new inmates, the Ministry is committed to continuing its acquisitions of security equipment as well as its recruitment efforts in 2025. A “revision of the provincial instruction on the discipline of incarcerated persons” is planned.
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