No inmate has tested positive in Sask. yet
To date, no inmate in federal or provincial correctional custody in Saskatchewan has tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Tuesday, 120 adult provincial jail inmates and 26 federal prison inmates had been tested.
Fourteen people are in isolation in provincial correctional facilities as a precaution, the Ministry of Corrections and Policing said in an email to the Starphoenix on Tuesday. Six staff members, all at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre, have tested positive for COVID -19;
The number of inmates tested represents 2.63 per cent of federal inmates.
the last confirmed case was in early April.
Most of the COVID-19 testing of inmates has taken place at the Saskatoon jail. As of May 11, 63 inmates had been tested for COVID -19, while 29 had been tested at the Prince Albert provincial jail, 20 at the Regina jail and four at Pine Grove Correctional Centre, the province’s women’s jail.
Among the youth facilities, three people have been tested at the Paul Dojack Youth Centre in Regina and one person at the Prince Albert Youth Residence.
The number tested represents just more than eight per cent of the overall adult inmate population in the province’s jails.
The number of adult inmates in Saskatchewan’s jails has decreased to 1,455 since March 15 from 2,062, a 29.4 per cent reduction, according to new figures released by the ministry on Tuesday.
The ministry previously acknowledged the work of public prosecutions may be a contributing factor to the population reduction, but did not speculate further on other possible factors.
All inmates entering provincial facilities are screened for COVID-19, the ministry said.
The provincial government’s Reopen Saskatchewan plan gives no indication when visits to correctional facilities might be allowed again.
According to the ministry, there are no plans to reinstate visits by chaplains or Elders in the immediate future, but inmates can contact them by phone for free.
At the federal level, the Correctional Service of Canada provides a province-by-province, institution-by-institution breakdown of the number of tests administered at federal corrections facilities.
So far, 26 federal inmates have been tested for COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, all of which came back negative. The CSC said in an emailed statement that testing strategies for specific institutions or regions are determined by public health officials and are affected by rates of COVID -19 in surrounding communities.
Inmates are being screened at intake by a registered health care professional, which includes a temperature check. Before they are released, the CSC said inmates are being screened as part of their overall discharge planning.
As of May 12, there were 986 inmates in federal custody in Saskatchewan. The number of inmates tested represents 2.63 per cent of federal inmates.
Former Legal Aid lawyer Deb Hopkins, who currently works on prisoner’s rights advocacy, had also been seeking the testing figures. She said it’s important for the public to know these numbers so that inmates’ loved ones know they’re being cared for. It also ensures that people can feel confident that proper testing is occurring in facilities, which can help eliminate any stigma toward people returning to the community, she added.
Although she was reassured to see the numbers, she said she would like inmates to be tested for COVID-19 before release.