The parents of a teenager are considering suing a DPJ rehabilitation center after a search of their son, who was wrongly suspected of hiding a key in his anus.
Already sued for negligence after the sad death of the “Granby girl” in 2019, the Integrated University Center for Health and Social Services (CIUSSS) in Estrie – CHUS could face trial again.
According to our investigative agency, there was a riot at the Val du Lac Youth Center in Sherbrooke last April when management attempted to recover a stolen master key to the facility.
Rescuers then forced a 16-year-old boy to undergo a shocking series of measurements to determine if he had hidden it in his anal cavity.
Photo courtesy of Léandre Roy
“He had to undress […]put on a dressing gown […]He had to face the officers again, who forced him to crouch [squatter]jumped and coughed to see if he was hiding the keys […] in his anal cavity”, we can read in the complaint sent by the father to the Deputy Commissioner for Complaints of the CIUSSS, Chantal Lessard.
Illegal and degrading
Commissioned by the family, Me Valérie Assouline is outraged by the situation. She is currently considering all options and a lawsuit for damages is being considered.
Photo Chantal Poirier
I Tiago Murias. attorney
Me Tiago Múrias, a specialist in juvenile justice, stated that he had never experienced this in his 10 years of service: “It is a serious abuse, an illegal and degrading search. »
In this context, the teenager, whose identity we cannot reveal due to his age, confided in us that he felt “humiliated and less than nothing”.
Which comes as no surprise to retired judge Nicole Gibeault: “They have resorted to excessive means that undermine human dignity,” she believes.
“If they really believed that a young person had a key in their anal wall, they should have taken them to the hospital,” she adds.
No emergency
Several other people we consulted questioned the method used.
“There was no urgency. They could have just used a metal detector,” among others, a person who investigates shelter cases and is not authorized to speak to the media, told us.
Or even X-rays, some doctors told us.
Shocking but legitimate, says the CIUSSS
Although the search can be described as shocking, according to the Complaints Officer of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie, the workers were entitled to carry it out.
The search was carried out “to ensure that the key was not camouflaged in the anus of the youth. […] The team has been authorized to conduct a search […] ‘ states Deputy Complaints Commissioner Chantal Lessard in her written decision which we have read.
And she adds: “I realize that the image of such a scene can be shocking, but I understand that the establishment had reasonable grounds to believe that the safety of other young people could be at risk. […] “.
Cold shower
This decision was met with shivers by the young man’s family, who expected more of an apology.
In his complaint, the father in particular accuses the center of having carried out a strip search, although internal directives prohibit this. Rather, they allow shallow pattern searches and full searches (see box).
The father also criticized the center for not having contacted him before the search: “It was only a few hours later that an employee told us about it,” he says.
Through its spokeswoman, Annie-Andrée Émond, the CUSSS declined to comment on the specific case.
However, she points out that the CIUSSS ensures that the teams have followed the procedures correctly.
According to the standard of practice for excavations CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS
- The cursory search and the complete search are allowed;
- Only police officers are authorized to conduct a strip search;
- Ensuring that parents are informed of the use of a search measure;
- Last revision of these standards: January 9, 2012
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