Violence escalates with overcrowding in Saskatchewan jails

'The counts are up in all centres and are over-capacity.' - SGEU spokesperson Barry Nowoselsky

Saskatoon (29 March 2006) - The threat of violence is rising for both inmates and staff in Saskatchewan correctional facilities because of overcrowding and a lack of opportunities for inmates to learn new skills, says the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union (SGEU/NUPGE).

"The counts are up in all centres and are over-capacity," said SGEU spokesperson Barry Nowoselsky.

“Pine Grove is set up to house 80 women and their current count is over 100. The women are double-bunking in visiting rooms and board rooms, outside secure areas. The men’s correctional centres are experiencing the same overcrowding with over 1,000 inmates in facilities with budgeted beds for a population of 890. That means inmates are sleeping in the gymnasiums and on the floor.”

From 1986 to 2001, the government closed eight adult correctional camps, located at Kenosee, Echo Valley, Buffalo Pound, Danielson, Meadow Lake, Waden Bay, White Gull and Hudson Bay.

The camps had housed 160 inmates. Inmates at the camps provided services and gained valuable work experience. The North Battleford Community Training Residence (CTR) and one Regina CTR were closed in 2004. CTRs are half-way houses where inmates serve the balance of sentences under supervision while working in the community.

In addition to camp closures, the government closed six training shops over the last 10 years. The workshops provided skills training in automotive repair, mechanics, and painting, welding, upholstery and woodworking. Inmates had the opportunity to work while learning skills they could use when released.

“To add to the problem of housing the extra numbers from the camps and CTRs, now those centres where the shops have closed have few training opportunities for inmates,” says Nowoselsky. “Many inmates serve ‘dead time’ - and dead time added to overcrowding increases the threat of violence in the centres, putting both staff and inmates at increased risk.”

SGEU is asking the government to reinstate the skills training programs for inmates and reopen the correctional camps. “We urge the government to provide better protective measures for staff. To reduce the threat of violence, we must reduce the overcrowding and provide meaningful training and work programs for inmates,” Nowoselsky says. NUPGE

More information:
• Inmate Living Conditions - 2002 Ombudsman's Report