With nowhere to go, people with complex needs are staying in cells: police commissioners report

Without beds available at local detox and wellness centres in Saskatoon, police are left to manage dozens of people with mental health and addictions issues.

Seven case studies included in a Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners agenda for a Thursday meetingalongside areport detailing the issues facing people with complex needs and the city at largeoutline situations faced by some of the dozens of people who land in police cells. Some of those seven people from the case studiesaren't welcome in the city's shelters because of erratic or violent behaviour.

The report follows a request from mayor Charlie Clark in August for an in-depth review of the people with complex needs often landing in Saskatoon Police detention cells, only to be released back in the community the next morning without mental health or addiction support.

Clark wanted the information to better understand how to support them.

"Individuals who arrive at detention self-identifying as homeless still leave homeless. Those who are arrested with mental health and addictions challenges are still leaving with mental health and addictions challenges," the report said.

One case study, for a woman with the pseudonym "Sara," was found to never have committed violent offences, but was often erratic and thatscared those who attended community supports alongside her. She was detained more than 39 times, often being rearrested within a day of her release.

"Sara did not display criminal behaviour, she was a person who was homeless and strugglingwith drug addiction and physical and mental health Issues," the report said.

She died at52 years oldearlier this year.

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Another, given the name "Chad," was caught after smashing the window of a local restaurant and again two days later for breaking the window of another business.

He told police he did it because he was homeless and no longer wanted to be homeless. Chad also said he could not access social assistance or get into shelters without identification and had no way to get new identification.

"He stated he decided to smash as many business windows to get lots of charges so he can stay in jail for the winter," the report said.

After being released with a future court date, he smashed another window.

With an apology for the damage, he told officers he was afraid of freezing to death and he wanted to spend the winter in the correctional centre so "he wouldn't die outside."

Prior to Clark's request, Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper said a group of 79 people had been in cells for at least 10 days and as many as 79 days over a one-year period.

From Jan. 1, 2022 toAug. 31, 2023, there were about 17,800 arrestees that were brought into Saskatoon Police detention. Of them, about 15 people per day or almost one third (31 per cent) were detained only because they were intoxicated in public, despite not having committed a criminal offence.

About half of those people are homeless, the report said.

In that 20-month period, a 48-year-old man had been arrested for alcohol intoxication 252 times, the most of anyone included in the police's report.

If not in Saskatoon police detention, and not outdoors, people with complex needs are able tostay at the Saskatchewan Health Authority's Brief Detox Unit but there's not much space.

It has 15 beds, six of them already designated for its own social program. From February to August this year, the unit was at 120 per cent capacity and an average of four people were turned away nightly.

"Supported housing options for persons suffering from psychosis and drug addiction will have to be resourced appropriately given the disruptive nature of these individuals," the report said.

"There remains a pressing need for the issue of continuity, and abundance, of care to remain at the forefront of community discussions."

The recommendation to the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners for the upcoming meeting is that the report be received as information.