'We're heading to a crisis': Sask. non-profit calls for housing to support incarcerated women
CBC
Pine Grove Correctional Centre in Prince Albert, Sask., is significantly overcrowded. A Saskatchewan non-profit says it will only get worse if work isn't done to provide housing to support incarcerated women.
This isn't the first time organizations have sounded the alarm about overcrowding at Pine Grove, but the Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan a non-profit advocacy group for incarcerated women — said that alarm must continue to ring, as overcrowding has created unsafe conditions for inmates.
"People then have the potential to become violent when they're crowded in that way," said Nicole Obrigavitch, executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan and a former inmate of Pine Grove.
The Government of Saskatchewan told CBC News that Pine Grove currently has 263 inmates. It's capacity is 166. Of those 263 inmates at Pine Grove, 156 are on remand, meaning they are in custody pending the result of court proceedings.
"When this capacity is exceeded, Corrections is able to make use of contingency spaces to increase capacity," said the province in an emailed statement.
Obrigavitch said overcrowding has led to "double-bunking" and a lower quality of care.
"We did have a report from one woman on Friday. She gave our receptionist a call and informed her that also their food rations were being cut and also even their laundry was being reduced."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told CBC that there have been no reductions to laundry or meal allotments at Pine Grove Correctional Centre.
Obrigavitch said there is an urgent need for housing for women seeking bail or being released. She said safe and affordable housing is at an all-time low and there's an overrepresentation of Indigenous women in the criminal justice system.
According to Statistics Canada, a 10-year study from 2009 to 2018 found 40 per cent of incarcerated women in Canada were of Indigenous ancestry, and that the number of Indigenous women sentenced was getting worse.
Obrigavitch said the lack of housing results in women being placed in desperate situations. Some commit poverty related crimes, struggle to get away from abusers, or end up homeless and lose their children, she said.
"If people were released on bail to housing that had a supportive component to it — which had addictions programming, mental health supports, stability, safety and all of those things ... you could help people so that they don't actually have to go back into institution," Obrigavitch said.
As for doing more for women's housing, the province recently provided $3.6 million to the Saskatoon Tribal Council for Īkwēskīcik iskwēwak, a housing unit in Saskatoon built to help women transition back into the community after leaving jail.
Still, Obrigavitch said government and organizations like Elizabeth Fry need to work together to get serious about finding a widespread solution.
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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