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New women's unit unveiled at Provincial Correctional Centre

An $18-million addition to P.E.I.'s Provincial Correctional Centre will house female inmates only, with their own common areas, cooking spaces and visitation centre.

23,000-square-foot addition to provincial jail has been 4 years in the making

Carolyn Ryan · CBC News ·
Cell with two small beds, two chairs and desks, and a sink and toilet.
One of the new cells at the just-opened Women’s Unit at the Provincial Correctional Centre in Miltonvale Park, north of Charlottetown. (Stacey Janzer/CBC)

Female prisoners on Prince Edward Island finally have a unit of their own. 

No inmates have been moved in yet, but politicians and managers officially launched the new Women's Unit at the Provincial Correctional Centre on Friday morning. 

In the works since early 2019, the unit measures 22,722 square feet and contains four maximum-security cells, six medium-security ones, three lock-up cells, two medical cells, and capacity for 24 women in minimum security.

Female prisoners will have their own program and classroom spaces, common areas, visitation area and cultural/prayer spaces, separate from those being used by male inmates. 

"One of the big focuses is on facilitating programs that address the underlying reasons behind why women offend and how they ended up here," said Brooke Mitchell, provincial manager of custody programs, citing substance abuse issues and emotional regulation as examples.

Woman with glasses and long hair smiles as she speaks outdoors.
Measures to improve privacy are very important to women living in custody, said Brooke Mitchell, provincial manager of custody programs. (Stacey Janzer/CBC)

"In addition, we also have learning opportunities. We have school that they can attend every day and courses that they can take in terms of upgrading education."

'More equality in the justice system'

The federal government covered $8 million of the cost, with the province providing $10 million, according to a news release issued Friday.  

"It's showing that the federal and provincial governments are working together to make P.E.I. a better place and bring more equality to the justice system," said Malpeque MP Heath MacDonald. 

A look inside the new women's unit at P.E.I.'s correctional centre

1 year ago
Duration 0:42
A program space, spiritual room and visiting area are just some of the important features for the new women's unit.

Staff are expected to move women into the new facility in November, after the last few construction details are finished.

In 2017-2018, the last full year leading up to the announcement that a new women's unit would be built, 99 women were held at the jail, adding up to a total of 4,666 bed days. They were being housed either in the weekend unit or in another separate unit at the jail while they awaited trial or served out sentences.

Mitchell noted that when the incarcerated women are moved into the new addition, it would free up some additional space for male offenders in the main part of the complex.  

More photos of the new facility: 

One of the maximum-security rooms at the new women's unit, seen through the slot where meals are pushed through into the cell.
One of the maximum-security rooms at the new women's unit, seen through the slot where meals are pushed through into the cell. (Stacey Janzer/CBC)
TV room with comfortable chairs and large windows.
Women being held at the Provincial Correctional Centre in Charlottetown while they await trial or serve sentences will have their own recreational areas as well as space for worship and cultural observances. (Stacey Janzer/CBC)
Two male guards sit at desks in a plexiglass-surrounded office pod.
The admissions and intake area at the new women's unit. (Julien Lecacheur/Radio-Canada)
Standard kitchen with cupboards, sink, stove and fridge.
A kitchen where minimum-security inmates will be able to cook for themselves. (Stacey Janzer/CBC)
A woman speaks at a podium while two men and a woman in business suits stand nearby.
Provincial cabinet ministers, federal MPs, and corrections officials were among those at Friday's official opening. (Stacey Janzer/CBC)
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