A recent increase in female offenders in the province has created an overcrowding problem at the Pine Grove Correctional Centre.

Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Paul Merriman says as of Monday, there were 252 women at the facility, which has a capacity of 163.

Merriman says some women have been relocated to the Youth Centre and the Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford to ease pressures.

“We’re also making available the electronic monitoring which is a huge success. Individuals can go back into the community being electronically monitored. That can relieve some pressure within our system, as well, if we can have those offenders that have lighter sentences or lighter crimes be integrated back in their communities at a sooner point in time.”

Helping them reintegrate will be members of the Elizabeth Fry Society in Saskatoon. Today, the province gifted the Society $330,000 over two years to help those leaving custody begin to contribute to society once again.

Merriman says the money will be used to help clients secure mental health and addictions supports, transportation, employment services, and most importantly, affordable housing.

“You can’t have somebody that’s coming out of a corrections facility that might be battling some mental health and addictions, you can’t put them back in the same environment that they came out of. You can’t put them on the same block. You can’t put them in the same house. If they’re back there, there is a more likely chance that they’re going to make a poor decision.”

Nicole Obrigavitch, Executive Director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan, says upon release, many women struggle with finding housing and securing personal identification, among other things.

“We’ll go in and we’ll do individualized support plans to figure out if they need mental health supports, if they need to see a doctor, if they need addictions supports, if they need support around family unification. Do they need to contact their Ministry worker?”

The money will be focused on women leaving four different facilities: the Women’s Reintegration Unit in Saskatoon, the White Birch Female Remand Unit, the Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford, and the Pine Grove Correctional Centre.