The province has opened the White Birch Remand Centre located at Regina's Paul Dojack Youth Centre (PDYC) for remanded women awaiting court appearances in Saskatchewan.
The Pine Grove Correctional Centre in Prince Albert is the only provincial adult female correctional centre in the province. In the past, all female offenders have been held in RCMP detachments in the southern part of the province while attending court.
"This converted unit helps to use more of our existing space in our correctional system while maintaining the safety and well-being of remanded female offenders," Minister responsible for Corrections and Policing Christine Tell said. "We will continue to look at how we can reinvest in our existing facilities to address the changing offender population."
The unit at White Birch will accommodate up to 18 adult female offenders. This will include three spaces for offenders to serve intermittent sentences on weekends.
Although the unit is located on the property of PDYC, it will be operated as an adult facility and will fall within the parameters of The Correctional Services Act, 2012.
All requirements under the Youth Criminal Justice Act have been maintained, specifically Section 84, where young persons are to be held apart from adults.
