Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (May 03/01) - The Inuvik female young offenders centre is almost ready to open.

The staff have been trained and the finishing touches are being completed at the $5.5 million facility.

Young offenders coordinator with the Department of Justice, Bob Cook said the construction is proceeding as planned.

"Things are progressing well," Cook said. "We're on schedule and training is just wrapping up."

The facility is 900 square metres and will house up to 14 residents.

Nearly half of all female young offenders in the territory come from the Beaufort Delta, but since the total number of offenders in the NWT is quite low, Cook says the low numbers allow this facility to be unique.

"It's the first of its kind in the country," he said. "We are the cutting edge of corrections."

The centre will focus on rehabilitation in an environment that Cook says is more suitable to the clients.

"We believe that young ladies have special needs," he said. "Those needs are better-addressed in an environment where male offenders aren't present."

The territorial government has agreed to supply the new centre with an in-house teacher, to provide the girls a school curriculum to bolster rehabilitation.

It will house young women between the ages of 12 and 20 from all over the NWT. The offences could be anything from a breach of probation to violent crimes.

He says 16 new youth officers were trained for the new operation.

Cook says construction is expected to be completed mid-May with the first clients expected by the end of the month.

An open house will be held prior to opening.