Prince Albert won’t need to look too far to fill a new 144-bed prison unit.
The Prince Albert Correctional Centre (PACC) has been housing inmates in programming rooms and sometimes the gym for at least two years due to lack of space.
Director Julien Hulet says skills programming – like elementary and high school degrees, life skills programs, cultural programming, and addictions programming – has not been suspended, only restricted because of that crowding.
“It was modified, and so we went to half-days. We have a variety of programs – obviously there’s a balance between having effective programming and having effective security,” Hulet said.
Officials say the beds in the new unit will quickly be accounted for as they transfer inmates from within PACC’s current four units. With a fluctuating average of about 400 inmates, that will mean a third of the current inmate population will beredistributed. At first, the facility won’t be bringing in inmates from other provincial facilities, such as Saskatoon or Regina.
Not only will the moves in PACC open up programming rooms that had become makeshift cells, correctional worker (CW) Wes Elder says the new building’s design will make a world of difference.
Elder has been in the field for 27 years at PACC. He said physical barriers separating inmates from CWs provide safety, but they also give blind spots and often keep inmates out of sight.
“Unit staff can effectively control inmate behaviors when they can easily observe their housing units,” Elder said.
“People act differently when they have a feeling of anonymity. This transfers over to life in jail also. When inmates are in staff sight they are far less likely to behave unacceptably.”
Some features of this open concept include skylights, gaming tables, and different orientation of CW’s seating spaces.
The new unit is meant to hold inmates who are awaiting sentencing – which can take up to four years in some cases.
Part of the reason for the new unit to hold those on remand is that the new unit is equipped to fully operate all video court appearances.
This will mean less moving around, and less confusion when it comes to court appearances. Staff is hopeful this might make things go smoother from the judicial side of things.