OTTAWA -- Correctional Service Canada (CSC) says a 72-year-old man incarcerated at a federal prison has died of apparent natural causes.
In a press release Saturday morning, CSC said Clifford Beaucage, who had been serving an indeterminate sentence for attempted murder, assault, robbery, and manslaughter since 1985, died Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 at the Millhaven Institution's regional treatment centre in Bath, Ont., west of Kingston.
CSC said Beaucage's next of kin have been notified.
As in all cases involving the death of an inmate, CSC will review the circumstances. CSC policy requires that the police and the coroner be notified.
"Whenever a person dies in federal custody, the police and coroner or medical examiner are notified. If the death appears to be of natural causes, we will conduct a mortality review," CSC says on its website.
"Circumstances of the death will determine if the coroner or medical examiner will investigate and CSC will hold a National Board of Investigation (BOI). A BOI will always include a member of the community as a board member to enhance accountability and transparency. BOIs and coroner's inquests offer an opportunity for CSC to improve the way we manage inmates under our care and custody."
