A delegation from Kamloops is discussing the possibility of opening a female wing to the local jail.
Councillor Kathy Sinclair says that will be one of several topics of discussion during a meeting today at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Vancouver.
“So we will be speaking with the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General (Mike Farnworth) about keep of prisoners, looking at male and female reprimanded young offenders, arrest and remand from outlying smaller detachments such as Barriere, Ashcroft, Clinton, Tk’emlúps and Logan Lake,” she says.
“Also looking at possibly opening a female correctional facility, or at least a female wing, at KRCC. And a youth detention centre, as well as rural detachment support.”
Currently, there are two jails for female inmates in B.C. – the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women in Maple Ridge, and a wing at the Prince George Regional Correctional Centre.
Sinclair says the Kamloops delegation has already met with the Deputy Minister of Environment and with an RCMP official. She says a meeting is still to come with the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions tomorrow to discuss a sobering centre in Kamloops.