Talks underway on prisoner escort
GNWT won't discuss negotiations over how inmates transported and secured in court
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Friday, September 30, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Department of Justice and RCMP are in talks to potentially change how prisoners are transported and secured while attending court, documents reveal.
In a report submitted in June to the territorial justice minister and recently provided to Yellowknifer, the RCMP notes the force is "presently engaged with the Department of Justice to find more effective ways to escort and secure prisoners for court."
The report didn't elaborate on what's ineffective now. The RCMP did not respond to a request for comment and the department declined an interview.
RCMP resources are no longer tied up dealing with prisoner transport to court in Iqaluit after negotiations with Mounties resulted in the territory taking over the role this year. That territory had to hire three more sheriffs to fill the role.
It's a change that's gone well, said Yvonne Niego, Nunavut's assistant deputy minister of justice.
"Even the courts have recently commented to court administration that there have been no delays or issues, they're very pleased to see the sheriff's role expanded to prisoner handling," she said.
Police here transport those in custody to court appearances throughout the territory. In Yellowknife, transport to and from the North Slave Correctional Centre is handled by the corrections staff unless the person is considered high-risk, according to Sue Glowach, a justice department spokesperson.
The transport of inmates throughout the territory is co-ordinated through the Yellowknife RCMP detachment. Mounties sit inside courtrooms during criminal proceedings and escort those in custody to and from holding cells on the first floor of the courthouse building.
A 2014-15 report from the RCMP to the justice minister states the force is required to provide uniformed officers for two courtrooms Monday to Friday, another on weekends for Justice of the Peace court and when Supreme Court sits, officers for three courtrooms.
The GNWT already employs sheriffs who guard courtrooms. The territorial government is staying silent on the talks and what prompted them.
"As these discussions are presently underway and are part of continuing negotiations, we are not in a position to speak publicly at the current time," Glowach stated last week in an e-mail to Yellowknifer.
"We will continue to work with our partners to find a solution that best meets the needs of all concerned."
It's not clear how many additional staff may be needed to replace the role now filled by police, should this territory follow Nunavut's example.
Word of the talks comes as the department plans to renovate the Yellowknife courthouse to improve security at an unspecified cost this fiscal year.
The plan states the work will "improve security and capacity through layout revision, update cell locking systems and assumption of adjacent floor areas."
The courthouse is rented by a private company to the GNWT at an annual cost of $2.46 million, according to Glowach. The lease expires in early 2021.
