More and more inmates are dying. Ontario's coroner wants to know why

Ontario's chief coroner is reviewing the cause of deaths in correctional facilities over the past seven years as the number of fatalities continues to rise. 

Dr. Dirk Huyer says the timing of inquests into non-natural deaths has been slowed because of pandemic responses. While it's known that an increasing number of deaths is related to substances like opioids, doctors don't have a full picture of patterns and trends. 

"It's a lot of information that we're bringing together in a central approach, and analyzing that information to look for trends and patterns which will give us the opportunity to really have a better perspective of what's occurring over time with these terrible tragedies," said Huyer. 

Coroners will look into all deaths at all of Ontario's facilities that took place between the period of 2014 and 2021. Over 150 deaths occurred during that period of time, Huyer said. 

Information will be gathered from a variety of sources, including records from correctional services, medical records, and demographics. Correctional service employees will be interviewed, as well as family members drawn at random across specific years and death types. 

"Our role is to understand the circumstances of death," said Huyer. "If there are public safety interventions or observations we can make, we should try to make those as quickly as we can." 

The analysis will allow for a robust look into systemic issues within the correctional system, and in challenges seen during inquests in the post-pandemic period. 

A final report going to a panel of experts is anticipated for early 2023. Based on the findings, they will develop recommendations to prevent further deaths and improve the health and safety of correctional facilities.