Violence in Quebec federal prisons nearly triples in a decade as gang conflicts escalate

Violence inside Quebec’s federal prisons has nearly tripled over the past decade, with correctional officers warning that increasingly bloody gang conflicts are putting both inmates and staff at risk.

According to Correctional Service Canada data obtained by Le Journal de Montréal, federal institutions in Quebec recorded 1,257 violent incidents between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.

Those included 1,218 incidents cl***ified as minor or moderate, 33 serious incidents and six homicides.

The total is nearly three times the number recorded during the same period in 2016-17, with the data showing a steady upward trend over the past decade.

“This has been happening almost daily for the past few years,” Frédérick Lebeau, president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, told Le Journal. “These are increasingly violent incidents.”

Donnacona Institution has been particularly hard hit. Four inmates have been murdered there since the beginning of 2026, including three killings in the prison gymnasium.

One correctional officer blamed decisions to allow inmates from rival wings to use common areas simultaneously despite warnings from staff.

The growth of competing street gangs is also making it increasingly difficult to keep hostile inmates separated.

“When you have to manage eight or nine groups that can no longer cross paths, it becomes problematic for rest, meal and activity times,” Lebeau said.

Valentin Pereda, a University of Montreal criminology professor, said the weakening of traditional organized crime groups, including the Hells Angels and Italian Mafia, has helped smaller street gangs proliferate.

Correctional officials and union representatives also pointed to overcrowding, staffing shortages, mental health problems and drones being used to smuggle weapons, drugs and cellphones into institutions.

Some officers are also criticizing federal reforms introduced under Bill C-83 in 2019, which abolished administrative and disciplinary segregation and replaced it with structured intervention units.

Lebeau argued that consequences for violent behaviour inside prisons have become inadequate.

“There need to be consequences, and then we need to reward people who behave well,” he said.

The violence is also taking officers off the floor. Mathieu Lavoie, president of Quebec’s correctional peace officers union, said more than 30 officers in the Montreal area were recently ***igned to hospital guard duty.

The problem isn’t confined to federal institutions. Quebec’s provincial correctional system has also recorded a substantial increase in ***aults in recent years, although officials say the numbers stabilized over the past year.