SASKATOON — The main objective of a partnership between the Government of Saskatchewan and the Elizabeth Fry Society is to give female offenders the support they need to integrate back into society and have them live a crime-free life.
According to Corrections, Policing, and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman, the provincial government has allocated $330,000 for the program, which is new dollars and was not part of the previous provincial budget.
"We've reallocated money from other areas to prioritize this. We've seen an increase in female offenders; that's why we're working with [EFS Executive Director] Nicole [Obrigavitch] and her team," said Merriman.
"[We're facing] challenges with Pinegrove and the ever-increasing numbers [of female offenders] we're seeing. This will help out on the front end to ensure those individuals aren't coming back into our custody.
He added that a similar program would also be conducted for males about to be released from Saskatchewan's correctional facilities, where the provincial government will partner with organizations like Straight Up.
Merriman, during the press conference on Thursday, July 18, at the EFS office, which was also attended by Saskatoon Riversdale MLA Marv Friesen and Ward 10 Councillor Zack Jeffries, said female offenders have a more challenging time reintegrating into their everyday lives. EFS's assistance would help them access available programs and services.
"Female offenders face additional challenges when securing housing and other support necessary to reunite with their children and loved ones. This expanded service agreement will ensure more women in our facilities, including those on remand, can be supported by the Elizabeth Fry Society's programming and services." Said Merriman.
Obrigavitch said there is no screening process involved, and she and her staff would help females interested in the program get all the support they need before they are released.
"We're looking at working with Pinegrove and North Battleford Hospital between eight to 10 weeks before the completion of their sentence so that we can fill those gaps. Often, women face issues around homelessness or housing before they go into the institutions. If they didn't have housing before they went in, it's unlikely they'll have housing when they leave [the correctional facility]," said Obrigavitch.
"It's our goal to go in and make sure that they have sure that they're set up for social assistance before being released because often a lot of the women, upon release, don't have housing and they're not hooked up with social assistance, and then they have to try to get ID and that sort of thing. So, that's highly problematic. We'll do individualized support plans to determine what they need."
Mental health and addiction counselling, physical health, and getting a ministry worker to help with family reunification, if needed, are some of the supports they can provide to females as they move back into the community.
"It's trying to fill those gaps in a community where women continue to fall through and remain open. I've only been in my position for 18 months, and we're looking at new data. I can make an anecdotal comment on another program we're running in Regina. We have five Sober Living beds that we've been using for reintegration and bail beds. And we're seeing some success out of there," said Obrigavitch.
"We've had several graduations where women have been reunited with their children. I've got one woman in right now who is now employed by the addictions program that she went through. She's a year clean, and she managed to divert her sentence from a federal to drug court. Those are the outcomes that we're looking at. That's what we're looking at for the reintegration piece."
The program will be provided for women at Pine Grove Correctional Centre, Saskatoon's Women Reintegration Unit, the women's correctional units at Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford, and, as necessary, the Whitebirch Remand Unit
Obrigavitch said they are pleased with the provincial government's funding to improve the reintegration support services for female offenders.
"This funding will significantly bolster our efforts to provide tailored assistance, ensuring a seamless transition from custody to community and underscoring our commitment to reducing recidivism and fostering positive outcomes for those re-entering the community," she said.
