INUVIK - Girls incarcerated at the Arctic Tern young offender's facility come burdened with a host of problems.

"I find a lot of the young ladies that come in have lost a sense of who they are, their self-esteem is quite often low. There are trust issues," said Roslyn Watters, manager of the Arctic Tern young offenders' centre for women.

Roslyn Watters, manager of Inuvik's Arctic Tern young offenders' facility, shows a greenhouse created by incarcerated girls. The centre's residents could not be photographed to ensure their anonymity. - Philippe Morin/NNSL photo

In some cases young mothers also find themselves serving time at the centre. Imagine a teenage mother caring for her child while in jail.

Watters said that is the reason the facility offers a nursery, where children six-months and under can stay with their mothers.

Like many programs at Arctic Tern, Watters said the nursery helps clients prepare for a return to the outside.

Watters said the goal is to allow mothers to keep their babies.

"We really encourage that bonding continue," she said.

The Arctic Tern facility has existed for five years in Inuvik.

Watters said it can house up to 14 clients, and serves girls from Beaufort Delta communities, Yellowknife, and even Nunavut and the Eastern Arctic.

While such cases are rare, the centre can legally hold girls as young as 12-years-old.

"Basically we can go from breaches of probation, assaults, break-and-enters, those are the primary ones," she said.

Watters added the centre's main focus is on education and rehabilitation.

This includes reading skills' workshops, job training programs, high-school-level courses and various projects like a garden and cooking classes.

The centre also takes clients on the land for berry picking and traditional stories around a campfire, as told by local elders.

Of course, not all girls have the same level of freedom.

One type of incarceration is called "open custody," which would allow a client to get outside without surveillance.

Watters cited the example of someone going to church, or visiting a relative in Inuvik.

"They have to earn it through behaviour, through actively participating in programs," she said.

The other type of custody does not allow outside travels.

In such a case, girls with a tendency towards violence would also be given solitary rooms, instead of the usual two-person bunk bed.

Having worked at the centre for five years, Watters said she's encouraged by recent initiatives such as healing circles, which take a restorative and collaborative approach to justice.

She said she is thankful for recent efforts by RCMP, probation officers, community justice programs and federal government to find alternatives to incarceration.

"I've found the YCJA (Federal Youth and Criminal Justice Act, passed in 2002) has actually reduced the young clientele, we are seeing fewer" she said.

And while she holds no contact with released inmates, she said it's always nice to hear they're doing well.

"Our biggest reward is when they don't come back. Just knowing they've made better choices in rejoining the community."