Death of an inmate in Quebec; The security crisis in Canadian prisons

The Correctional Service of Canada announced that a 26-year-old inmate has died at Donnacona Institution in Quebec.

According to the agency, a man named Sylvain Cabochi died in this maximum-security prison located west of Quebec City.

Court documents show that he had been imprisoned at Donnacona since April 2025.

Quebec provincial police confirmed that Cabochi died following an attack by other inmates.

Police stated that investigators and security forces were dispatched to the scene upon receiving reports of the incident.

The Correctional Service of Canada says it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding Sylvain Cabochi’s death.

The killing of inmates in Canadian prisons has in recent years become a growing crisis in the country.

Meanwhile, authorities in Manitoba recently announced that investigations have begun into the deaths of seven inmates in two Manitoba prisons during 2020 and 2021.

These investigations include the case of William Ahmo, a 45-year-old inmate who died in February 2021 at Headingley Correctional Centre. Video footage of the incident shows prison officers assaulting him while he repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.”

Additionally, the parents of a man who died after being attacked by three other inmates at Brandon Correctional Centre say prison officials ignored his safety by placing him in or near a unit that housed members of a criminal gang.

Colin James Camptorn, 44, died a few weeks after being attacked by fellow inmates in this medium-security provincial prison in southwestern Manitoba.