The Saskatoon Correctional Centre has inmates living in its visiting area and has cancelled some family visits, due to ongoing renovations and the jail’s overpopulation.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the jail is over its capacity. As of Tuesday, there were 490 inmates at the centre.
“That would be in excess of its capacity. It can hold close to that, but we’ve had to move inmates to Regina and Prince Albert in order to accommodate,” Drew Wilby, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, told CTV News.
The Saskatoon Correctional Centre is short 46 beds as one of the jail units undergoes maintenance renovations. As a result, the visiting area has been rejigged into inmate housing.
“We’ve had to convert some of that space into temporary living space when the inmate population reaches these peak levels,” Wilby said.
The facility has cancelled family visits on 11 days in June.
“It’s a last resort that we take and we hope to get back to a regular visiting schedule,” Wilby said.
Wilby said the ministry expects the jail’s renovations to be completed by October.
