It’s a snapshot from Correctional Service Canada (CSC) regarding our country’s prison population.
Since 2012-13, data shows the number of incarcerated offenders in CSC facilities has declined from 15,318 to 14,130 in 2017-2018. The overall number of offenders in the community has also continued to increase during that same timeframe from 7,658 to 9,079.
In Saskatchewan, the penitentiary in Prince Albert is just one of the CSC institutions in the province. Housing minimum-, medium- and maximum-security prisoners and without a doubt, some of the most dangerous individuals known to authorities are sent there.
“It’s certainly charges that are more serious in nature — aggravated assault, robberies, manslaughter, those types of offences,” said Chris Lavier, a criminal defence lawyer in Saskatoon.
“It also could be other more modest offences where someone has, unfortunately, a track record of a series of these smaller offences that sometimes can attract greater penalties including two years, a day or more in a federal system.”
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The in-custody federal offender population in Saskatchewan decreased from 1,100 to 973 at the end of the 2012-13 fiscal year to the mid-year mark of 2017-18.
The number of federal offenders residing in the community under supervision increased slightly from 381 to 385.
So how does this compare to other parts of the country during that same timeframe?
As compared to Alberta and Manitoba, Saskatchewan was the only one to see a drop in incarceration rates, and had the fewest offenders released into the community.
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“In Community Under Supervision” includes all active offenders on day parole, full parole and statutory release but the parole board isn’t the only one keeping a watchful eye on inmates getting out of prison.
Sgt. Tony Landry of the Guns & Gangs unit with the Saskatoon Police Service says they work with a number of different agencies when certain individuals are released.
“There’s a concern that they may re-offend so we provide added monitoring of these individuals back into our communities to make sure that they are complying with the conditions as sent out,” said Landry.
“If we find that they are in violation, then we will apprehend them and send them back to jail.”
At any given time, Landry said the unit could be monitoring 35 to 40 adult offenders living in the community.
“Ultimately, what they’re hoping for is that they reintegrate back into society as law-abiding citizens.”
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