The Saskatoon Correctional Centre is and adult male, provincial correctional centre located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is one of four provincial correctional centres in the province including the Regina Correctional Centre, the Prince Albert Correctional Centre and the only female institution, the Pine Grove Correctional Centre.
The centre generally holds approximately 300 offenders, including those of the low security annex, the Saskatoon Urban Camp. The centre was opened in 1981, along with the new Prince Albert Correctional centre, after the old men’s jail in Prince Albert was closed down due to a serious riot in the late 1970’s. The centre was originally build along the lines of the Normal Living Unit concept in which offenders were housed in a manner that resembled a “half-way house” in the community but with the structure of a secure setting.
The centre holds offenders that are currently awaiting trial and those who are sentenced. As a provincial correctional centre, sentenced inmates serve a maximum of two years, less a day. Those who are sentenced to more than that are transferred to the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). There are however instances where federal inmates are sentenced to a provincial correctional centre as the province of Saskatchewan has an exchange of services agreement with the CSC.
As all provincial offenders will be released into the community, the goal of the correctional system is to prepare offenders for a successful reintegration into the community. This is often done by offering a wide variety of programming including alcohol and drug programming, anger management, cognitive skills, psychological counseling, spiritual counseling and traditional aboriginal programming.
What is a typical day like for an incarcerated offender?
Offenders are up by 7:00 a.m. and start a work or program assignment by 8:00 a.m. During the day offenders may:
attend education programs;
attend treatment programs (substance abuse program, living without violence program);
attend counselling sessions with corrections workers;
be employed in the prisons industries shops within the correctional centres;
work in the kitchen;
or clean the institution.
Offenders return to their living units prior to lunch and dinner to be counted by staff. In the evening, offenders have the opportunity to engage in recreational, social and cultural activities. Visits with family members may occur when offenders are not working or attending programs. Offenders are secured in their living quarters by 10:30 p.m.
External Links
Saskatchewan Corrections and Public Safety: [1]
Correctional Service of Canada (CSC): [2]
Province of Saskatchewan: [3]
