Yvon Dandurand

After extensive consultations, the Mental Health Commission of Canada recently issued an Action Plan for Criminal Justice and Mental Health in Canada.[1]

The Commission recognized how widespread community misunderstandings about incarceration and mental health are, as they create an isolating factor that increases the risk of recidivism and ongoing involvement with the criminal justice system. Stigma and discrimination also hinder social reintegration efforts. Labels related to mental illness, justice involvement, or belonging to a priority population can make it difficult for an individual to find employment, housing, social supports, or access to programs and services.

The Commission noted how stigma and discrimination affect both people who are justice-involved and those who work within criminal justice, health, and mental health systems. In practice, this means individuals may encounter stigma from the public, service providers, or even their own workplaces. The consequences can include avoiding help due to fear of judgment or facing harmful assumptions that link mental illness with violence.

The Action Plan includes several recommendations that address stigma and discrimination to reduce the overrepresentation of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system and promote a stigma-informed approach to care and support. They deserve careful consideration.

Service providers working with individuals facing or anticipating stigma often overlook the connections between their clients’ stigmatized experiences and their behaviour. Criminal justice and mental health practitioners need to recognize how their own biases and stereotypes help to reinforce various stigmas, highlighting the importance of adopting a stigma-informed approach.[2]

A stigma-informed approach to care and support interventions is based on an understanding that stigmatization and ostracism affect those we aim to assist. It is grounded in the recognition that exposure to social stigmas can influence a person’s psychological and social development, well-being, mental health, access to opportunities, and their willingness or ability to seek and receive help. This approach recognizes the signs and widespread effects of stigma, especially when internalized by individuals, undermining their self-identity, self-confidence, and sense of agency. For helping professionals, it highlights the importance of reflecting on and becoming aware of their own stereotypes and stigmas, and how these impact their helping relationships. Furthermore, it affirms that a comprehensive, stigma-informed approach to care and support is essential at every level of an agency or institution.

[1] Mental Health Commission of Canada (2026). Finding New Pathways: An action plan for criminal justice and mental health in Canada. https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/National_Action_Plan.pdf

[2] Dandurand, Y., A. Davies, and C. Lattie (2025). Easing the Burden of Stigma: Stigma-Informed Care and
Support Interventions. DCA-Legend.

Photo by Jackson Wilson on Unsplash.