Saskatoon Correctional Centre opens in 1981 at $10 million

Every Thursday, we feature an image from the StarPhoenix archives , curated by the City of Saskatoon Archives. Today, we see director Ron Lisk outside the recently opened $10-million Saskatoon Correctional Centre , from April 10, 1981. The facility immediately took transfers from Prince Albert, then took over the Saskatoon and Kerrobert court districts.

( City of Saskatoon Archives StarPhoenix Collection S-SP-A15445-29, photo by Linda Holoboff) From the StarPhoenix archives: The first group of prisoners is adjusting to life at the new provincial jail in Saskatoon. The 10 men, transferred Tuesday from the Prince Albert Correctional Centre, spent several hours working Thursday in food service and doing cleaning within the $10-million Saskatoon Correctional Centre at 61st Street and Millar Avenue. Ron Lisk, director of the centre, said he expects to receive about 65 more prisoners from Prince Albert during the next 60-75 days.



After that, the centre will begin receiving men either on remand (awaiting trial or sentencing) or sentenced directly to it for periods of less than two years. There are 104 beds for sentenced prisoners and 20 remand beds at the centre. It will receive prisoners from the Saskatoon and Kerrobert court districts (west-central Saskatchewan).

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Lisk said the average length of sentences to provincial correctional facilities in Saskatchewan has been about 90 days, with the average length of stay being 57 days as sentences are remitted. Some of the prisoners will serve intermittent sentences — usually on weekends only. “The majority of offences committed by offenders incarcerated in a provincial correctional facility are against property such as break and enter, theft, fraud, and drinking and driving offences,” Lisk said.

“Approximately 20 per cent have committed a crime against a person such as assaults, weapons-related charges and robbery.” The inaugural duties performed Thursday by prisoners were one of the milestones in the centre’s plan to have all prisoners participate in work, education or training placements for 40 hours per week (eight hours, five days a week). They will be involved in kitchen and food services work, grounds landscaping, maintenance and janitorial work, supervised storekeeping and library work.

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Prisoners will be dispersed into small groups (usually of 13 men) for living accommodation and daily programming purposes. Higher security risk individuals will be accommodated in what are called “very secure living units.” The Saskatoon facility is far more secure than the 60-year-old centre in Prince Albert, Lisk said.

It has a permanent staff of 128. Throwback Thursday is a weekly StarPhoenix series where we revisit photos from Saskatoon’s past. Check out our entire collection here .

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