When news broke that an inmate convicted of second-degree murder had escaped a minimum-security facility in Lanaudière, it begged another question: How often does this kind of thing happen? How frequently do Quebec inmates escape from prisons or various types of correctional centres?
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) sent MTL Blog data to help us find the answer... and the results may or may not surprise you.
Editor's Choice: A Man Serving A Sentence For Murder Has Escaped From A Minimum Security Facility In Quebec
6
Escapes from federal custody in Quebec between 2017 and 2021
Between 2017 and now, there have been six escapes from federal custody in Quebec — the escape that just occurred in 2021, none in 2020, two in 2019, one in 2018 and two in 2017.
Keep in mind, this data covers CSC facilities, which house and supervise persons sentenced to two years or more.
It does not include escapes from detention centres and jails, which house and supervise persons sentenced to less than two years, said CSC Communications Advisor Kyle Lawlor.
In the same period of four years and one-and-a-half months:
The Prairies saw 37 escapes
Pacific Canada saw 10 escapes
Ontario saw two escapes
Atlantic Canada saw one escape
That means, compared to the rest of Canada within the same time frame, Quebec was right in the middle.
This article's cover photo was used for illustrative purposes only.