Programs needed for female inmates: Nunavut women's council

The Nunavut government's decision to build a correctional facility for women is a "good step forward," but programs targeted at helping female inmates are also needed, says the head of the territory's status of women council.

The $1.2-million women's prison, which is scheduled to open within the next two years on the grounds of the Baffin Correctional Centre, will house up to eight women on remand and those serving light sentences.

Premier and Justice Minister Paul Okalik told CBC News on Friday that the new facility will replace the trailer currently being used to house women in custody.

Kathy Hanson, president of Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council, said: "They might need couples counselling, they might need reintegration into a community, they might need alcohol and drug counselling," she said. "We have a lot of homeless women in Nunavut, and sometimes they might be doing crimes because they have nowhere to go."

LINK: CBC

LINK: Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council