Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 02/04) - The new North Slave Adult Correctional Centre is one month away from opening, introducing changes in inmate relations when it does.

More glass, increased interaction between guards and prisoners, and holistic guidance from aboriginal elders are features of the new facility.

Journalists and the general public got a peek at the prison this week. It holds 154 people, up from 132 at the old facility.

The prison was designed very much from a rehabilitation standpoint, say corrections officials.

With soft blue walls, pink trim and plenty of windows, the facility seems more like a college dorm than a prison. The colour scheme was designed to incorporate natural colours, such as moss green for the carpets, and to let in natural light.

"The sunlight makes people grow," said warden Bonnie Lynch.

With more room and more specialized areas, the correctional centre can better accommodate high risk individuals, and will house special needs inmates currently at the River Ridge facility in Fort Smith.

Cells are single rooms

Cells are mostly single rooms grouped into units, each with its own living area with tables and an adjacent outdoor courtyard open to inmates at any time until they are confined to their cells at night.

This is necessary, says Lynch, because the facility will be non-smoking.

The facility has four program rooms where inmates can advance their schooling in academics or trades.

"Education is something our inmates often become involved with," Lynch said.

There will also be a change in the way staff deal with inmates.

Corrections officers will be more in touch with incarcerated individuals, and will be encouraged to get to know them at a personal level.

The frequent use of glass for walls and other barriers will allow staff to monitor inmates without invading their privacy.

Many of the ideas used in the prison were a result of consultation sessions with aboriginal elders.

Ninety-five per cent of inmates in the correctional facility are aboriginal. Holistic healing methods are considered important in their rehabilitation.

"We have our own way of living, we have our own laws," said Bob Wasicuna, a native healer from Manitoba, who now lives and works in the North with inmates.

Wasicuna says times have changed since the old days when every child was given the love they need.

Many inmates are running from past experiences and turn to drugs and alcohol to help forget. They often find themselves in jail as a result.

"I would say 100 per cent of inmates have been abused in some way or another," Wasicuna said, but not everyone deals well with it.

"This world is very crazy, this world is restricting," Wasicuna said. "God gave you tears: cry if you want to."

As part of the healing process, inmates will be visited by elders from different communities who speak traditional languages and can help with spiritual guidance.

There is also an aboriginal skills programming area with a spiritual room.

Inmates will be allowed to engage in religious ceremonies in the spiritual room, which has a granite floor and a wood stove.

Wasicuna hopes inmates will go through a process of learning and healing while in the facility, but he knows even the most expensive building or programs can't make someone change.

"This healing business is the responsibility of the individual. They've got to want help."

Wasicuna says the new building will make everyone who enters see healing in a good way. He hopes it will encourage inmates to seek the help they need.