Correctional Service Canada Accommodation Guidelines: Mental Healthcare Facility

<p><em>Correctional Service Canada Accommodation Guidelines: Mental Healthcare Facility</em><em> </em>is a sculptural artwork based on the <em>Federal Correctional Facilities Accommodation Guidelines</em> set by Correctional Service Canada (CSC). Obtained by the artist in 2015 via an access-to-information request, this 700-page document is used by CSC for the building, maintenance, and everyday operations of prisons. In a section titled “Mental Healthcare Facility,” CSC outlines the locations and spatial dimensions required for waiting rooms, bathrooms, and staff offices for prison mental healthcare wings.</p> <p>People with severe trauma and mental illnesses, due to a lack of resources for their care on the outside, are disproportionately imprisoned by CSC. Parallel to this, symptoms of mental illness increase when people are incarcerated; the notion of “care” in a carceral context is an oxymoron, as the conditions of imprisonment are incongruent with treatment or rehabilitation.</p> <p>Accompanying the installation is a zine produced by Hoszko, which includes a letter to the artist from Nasrin Himada that is also featured in this publication…</p>