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VICTORIA
– The B.C. government is taking
action to enhance public safety and better manage adult offenders by adding new
cells to correctional facilities in Maple Ridge and Prince George, Solicitor
General John Les said today.
“The inmate population is at a record level
and continues to rise, so we’re acting now to reduce overcrowding,” said Les.
“More cell space will help to ensure the safety of communities, correctional staff
and inmates.”
In
Maple Ridge, 135 new cells will be added to the Fraser Regional Correctional
Centre (FRCC) and 106 new cells at Alouette Correctional Centre for Women
(ACCW). In Prince George, the women’s unit at the regional correctional centre
will be expanded with 20 new cells.
Additional jails cells are needed because
the inmate population in B.C. has risen by more than 500 over the past three
years and is currently increasing by about four per cent every year. Reasons
for rising inmate populations in provincial jails include increased policing
resulting in more criminal charges, longer and more complex trials, and more
offenders breaching bail conditions.
Currently, B.C.’s nine prisons house about
2,700 inmates. More than half of these inmates are remanded to custody while
awaiting trial, while others are serving sentences under two years. Federal
jails in B.C. house offenders with sentences of two years or more who have
committed more serious crimes.
Today’s announcement is in addition to work
already underway that will add 18 cells at the ACCW and 100 interim beds at
FRCC. Fifty interim beds are also being added to the Kamloops Regional
Correctional Centre. All interim beds will be housed in temporary structures
and only assigned to low-risk inmates. These structures can be converted to
program space for future use.
A combination of new inmate
cells and interim beds are needed as the inmate population in B.C. has risen by
more than 500 over the past three years and is currently increasing at about
four per cent every year. Some of the reasons for more inmates in provincial
jails are increased policing and more criminal charges, longer and more complex
trials, and more offenders breaching bail conditions.
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contact: |
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General 250 356-6961 |
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