B. C. closing 2 detention centres for girls, consolidating in Burnaby

VICTORIA — British Columbia will shut down two of its three female youth detention facilities, Minister of Children and Family Development Mary Mcneil announced Wednesday.

Mcneil said prisoner numbers in all three facilities are down substantially, so it makes sense to consolidate all female inmates into the province’s facility in Burnaby.

“Many of these girls, oftentime, feel very isolated in these centres and what we are able to do is — if we can put them all together in one centre — be able to offer more gender- specific programs and services for them,” Mcneil said. “I think it’s going to make a huge difference for these kids.”

As of Wednesday, government officials said, there were two youth female inmates in Prince George, and seven in Victoria. There were 11 in the Burnaby facility; the average number there is nine.

The union representing workers at the province’s youth facilities says the move is a cost- cutting measure, meant to help the government fund other services.

“What we think they are doing is they are robbing Peter to pay Paul,” said Dean Purdy, chairman of the B. C. Government and Service Employees’ Union’s correctional and sheriff services section. “They’re just shuffling money around when we think they should be keeping it where it is and leaving those girls’ units open so that there isn’t an impact on the families that have kids in jail.”

Purdy said families in the North, and on the Island, will now have to travel to Burnaby to visit their daughters in jail.

Alan Markwart, senior executive director of youth justice services, said the government will coordinate family visitations for inmates by phone and by video, adding in some situations it may also pay some travel costs for families.

Markwart said the move will save the government $ 2.5 million per year. Of this, he said $ 900,000 will be reinvested in youth justice and youth custody services, and $ 1.6 million will be put toward services for special needs children.

“This is a case where we have one program area where there is reduced demand — in youth custody — and a lot of inefficiency,” he said. “We have other program areas – special needs kids – where we have increasing demands, so we’re rebalancing.”

Markwart said the two facilities are scheduled to close Feb. 6, and all 23 employees will be moved into other positions.

Purdy said his union is in contract negotiations and was surprised by the announcement early Wednesday morning. “For them to blindside us while we’re at the bargaining table is unacceptable to us,” he said.