Murray Wood: Who's scary... and who's scary good?
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week, in a specia...
The Saskatoon Correctional Centre is getting a new dedicated substance abuse treatment unit.
The unit is to open May 16 and will take in 25 inmates at a time. The program runs for five weeks and offers behavioural therapy, relapse prevention, development of problem-solving skills, and goal-setting exercises.
The program is part of the provincial government’s Gang Violence Reduction Strategy.
“Addictions is one of the major root causes of crime and gang violence,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell said in a media release.
“We know from experience that treating offenders’ addictions issues and related mental health concerns can reduce their involvement with the criminal justice system, and make Saskatchewan a safer place for everybody.”
According to the ministry, an analysis of a similar program at the Regina Correctional Centre determined participants “have a statistically significant lower rate of reoffending after release.”
The unit at the Regina jail was the first in the province to open, starting up in 2008. Units were set up at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre and the Prince Albert Correctional Centre in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
