Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 22/99) - Looking to break out of its confined space, the 32-year-old Yellowknife Correctional Centre has embarked on a $300,000-project to consider renovation and expansion of existing facilities.

"The stage we're in right now is functional planning," said warden Doug Friesen during a tour of the complex Tuesday. "We're looking at what we want to do, how we're going to do it and what we can do with the existing facility."

Working with Yellowknife's Ferguson Simek Clark engineering and architectural firm, Friesen said he expects the planning stage to be completed this year, an architectural design to be chosen in 2000 and construction to begin the year after.

Friesen said the changes to YCC, which has seen six renovations to the original 1965 design, is not about expanding capacity but about modernizing correctional practices. He said the centre already holds up to 180 inmates, though the original design was intended for 132. The use of a trailer unit, prisoner exchanges, as well as temporary absence programs where inmates might serve part of their sentences in communities or bush camps, help YCC cope with the numbers.

"We're not looking to increase capacity but to meet what our standard is right now," Friesen said.

Essentially, the proposed changes are intended to improve security and help in the process of reforming inmates. Friesen said YCC is considering a more modular design -- instead of open dormitories where one circulation officer is responsible for as many as 40 inmates, the proposal would create smaller units of 25 inmates in single and double cells, allowing more privacy as well as tighter security.

"It allows for the officer to get to know the prisoners on a personal level, so that if they sense any problems they can help them work it out," Friesen said, "Correctional Services Canada has gone this way."

Friesen said the design would also allow for more programming space -- for recreation, a library, leather-working and carving workshops and a variety of courses on subjects ranging from relapse intervention, family violence and alcohol abuse. All are considered essential to the reforming process.

And contrary to the expectations of the correction centre, the complaint of inmates in YCC's medium-security open wing is not isolation but lack of privacy.

"When they want quiet time to get away from people they usually request to go into lock-up," said Friesen, "because there is no place in this wing for quiet time, because you're living in a dormitory."