Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Adult Men in 3 Provincial Prisons in Quebec, Canada, 2021
| Characteristic | Établissement de détention de Montréal | Établissement de détention de Rivière-des-Prairies | Établissement de détention de Saint-Jérôme | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 600 (55%) | n = 300 (27%) | n = 200 (18%) | n = 1100 | |
| Sociodemographic | ||||
| Age, mean (standard deviation), years | 39.0 (12.3) | 38.2 (12.6) | 38.5 (12.8) | 38.7 (12.5) |
| Age category, n (%), years | ||||
| 18–29 | 149 (25) | 92 (31) | 52 (27) | 293 (26) |
| 30–39 | 192 (32) | 76 (25) | 61 (30) | 329 (30) |
| 40–49 | 136 (23) | 66 (22) | 49 (24) | 251 (23) |
| ≥50 | 123 (20) | 66 (22) | 38 (19) | 227 (21) |
| Race/ethnicity, n (%) | ||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 392 (65) | 178 (59) | 136 (68) | 706 (64) |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 77 (13) | 45 (15) | 4 (2) | 126 (12) |
| Indigenous | 57 (9) | 26 (9) | 52 (26) | 135 (12) |
| Other visible minoritya | 64 (11) | 44 (15) | 4 (2) | 112 (10) |
| Missing data | 10 (2) | 7 (2) | 4 (2) | 21 (2) |
| Education level, n (%) | ||||
| Less than secondary | 211 (35) | 107 (35) | 85 (43) | 403 (37) |
| Secondary | 216 (36) | 104 (35) | 55 (27) | 375 (34) |
| Post-secondary | 172 (29) | 87 (29) | 50 (25) | 309 (28) |
| Missing data | 1 (0.2) | 2 (1) | 10 (5) | 13 (1) |
| Personal gross yearly incomeb (USD), n (%) | ||||
| $0 or no income | 75 (13) | 51 (17) | 16 (8) | 142 (13) |
| $1–$25,999 | 228 (38) | 122 (41) | 76 (38) | 426 (39) |
| $26,000–$55,999 | 102 (17) | 52 (17) | 38 (19) | 192 (17) |
| >$56,000 | 73 (12) | 30 (10) | 23 (12) | 126 (11) |
| Missing data | 122 (20) | 45 (15) | 47 (23) | 214 (20) |
| Housing status,c n (%) | ||||
| Unstable | 155 (26) | 92 (30) | 37 (18) | 284 (26) |
| Stable | 415 (69) | 203 (68) | 151 (76) | 769 (70) |
| Missing data | 30 (5) | 5 (2) | 12 (6) | 47 (4) |
| Clinical | ||||
| Coronavirus disease 2019 symptoms,d n (%) | ||||
| No | 328 (55) | 160 (53) | 116 (58) | 604 (55) |
| Yes | 257 (43) | 134 (45) | 76 (38) | 467 (42) |
| Missing data | 15 (2) | 6 (2) | 8 (4) | 29 (3) |
| Medical comorbidities,e n (%) | ||||
| None | 299 (50) | 152 (51) | 103 (52) | 554 (50) |
| One | 187 (31) | 98 (33) | 68 (34) | 353 (32) |
| >2 | 80 (13) | 40 (13) | 22 (11) | 142 (13) |
| Missing data | 34 (6) | 10 (3) | 7 (3) | 51 (5) |
| Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 serology test result, n (%) | ||||
| Negative | 436 (73) | 256 (85) | 162 (81) | 854 (78) |
| Positive | 164 (27) | 44 (15) | 38 (19) | 246 (22) |
| Carceral | ||||
| Time spent incarcerated since March 2020, n (%) | ||||
| Little (<10%)f | 168 (28) | 86 (29) | 35 (17) | 289 (26) |
| Some (10%–49%) | 162 (27) | 81 (27) | 88 (44) | 331 (30) |
| Most (50%–99%) | 103 (17) | 61 (20) | 23 (12) | 187 (17) |
| All (100%) | 110 (18) | 46 (15) | 20 (10) | 176 (16) |
| Missing data | 57 (10) | 26 (9) | 34 (17) | 117 (11) |
| Room type, n (%) | ||||
| Single cell | 128 (21) | 30 (10) | 15 (7) | 173 (16) |
| Shared cell | 460 (77) | 266 (89) | 181 (91) | 907 (82) |
| Missing data | 12 (2) | 4 (1) | 4 (2) | 20 (2) |
| Employment during incarceration, n (%) | ||||
| No | 484 (81) | 242 (81) | 156 (78) | 882 (80) |
| Yes | 72 (12) | 38 (12) | 32 (16) | 142 (13) |
| Missing data | 44 (7) | 20 (7) | 12 (6) | 76 (7) |
| Meal consumption, n (%) | ||||
| Alone | 190 (32) | 81 (27) | 36 (18) | 307 (28) |
| Cellmates | 143 (24) | 78 (26) | 19 (10) | 240 (22) |
| Sector | 214 (35) | 132 (44) | 135 (67) | 481 (44) |
| Missing data | 53 (9) | 9 (3) | 10 (5) | 72 (6) |
| Timing of incarceration at screening, n (%) | ||||
| Pre-outbreak | 130 (22) | 0 (0) | 106 (53) | 236 (22) |
| Post-outbreak | 470 (78) | 300 (100) | 94 (47) | 864 (78) |
Other visible minorities include Hispanic, Asian, and Arab.
Personal gross yearly income refers to total annual income (CAD) from all paid work and all other sources before taxes and other deductions in the year prior to incarceration.
Stable housing refers to living in an apartment, condo, or house; unstable housing refers to living in a shelter, group home, hotel, or having no fixed address.
Coronavirus disease 2019 symptoms include fever, chills, headache, sore throat, new or worsening cough, stuffy nose/congestion, difficulty breathing/shortness of breath, loss of smell or taste, fatigue, weakness, confusion, diarrhea, muscle pain, vomiting, and nausea.
Medical comorbidities include hypertension, diabetes, obesity (based on body mass index), asthma, chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, cancer, chronic blood disorder, chronic neurological disorder, immunocompromised (human immunodeficiency virus), and immunocompromised (other).
Reported spending less than 4 weeks incarcerated since March 2020.