Regardless of your political bent, we all want the same things: healthy communities, healthy families and healthy people, and we want people to be able to be employed.  That from the Executive Director of Saskatchewan, Nicole Obrigavitch who says by putting people in jails, we aren’t promoting a better life.  She says people don’t learn positive social behaviours in an institution.

Obrigavitch and the Elizabeth Fry Society are advocating for supports in the community so people can be healthy, and more affordable housing.  The Executive Director suggests if people have a safe home and they have supports to deal with their addictions and intergenerational trauma, they don’t need to commit crimes. A recent national report from the Office of the Correctional Investigator cites that although only about four per cent of the Canadian female population is Indigenous, they make up more than half the population in jail. Obrigavitch expects it’s more like 90 to 95 per cent in Saskatchewan.

Overall, this province has the highest over-representation of Indigenous people in jail at 17.7 times higher than the non-Indigenous population.  Pine Grove Correctional Centre in Prince Albert, which is for female inmates, has a capacity of 166 but at one point this past summer, it was at 275 and right now is around 243 inmates in a jail meant for 166 and 150 are there even though they are on remand.

Obrigavitch explains it’s because of a lack of housing in the community for them to be safely released to, and they may not be able to afford bail. There is also a lack of safe housing with supports for those being re-integrated into the community. The Executive Director says, “People will return to survival-based crimes when they don’t have any other choices. For example, if you have nowhere to live or you are unable to receive supports in the community, that’s basically a recipe for disaster.”

Instead, Obrigavitch says, the answer is simple.  To lower the incarceration rate while also moving toward a safer community, more housing with supports for people who have been dealing with addictions and/or trauma is needed. She emphasizes that people don’t learn positive social behaviours by being in an institution. Prevention is the key, by providing supports in the community so people can be healthy.