The new Nanaimo Correctional Centre was officially unveiled Wednesday, May 22 and will serve as replacement for the existing facility on the same Biggs Rd. property. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

upgraded facility

New Nanaimo Correctional Centre opens its doors

May 22, 2024 | 11:39 AM

NANAIMO — After more than two years of construction, the city’s newly completed correctional centre has opened its doors.

Construction on the new Nanaimo Correctional Centre (NCC) on Biggs Rd. on Brannen Lake began in the spring of 2022, on the same site as the existing facility which houses 60 inmates presently with plenty of room to grow.

Public safety minister Mike Farnworth said design for the new facility, which replaces the old jail built in 1953, was inspired by Coast Salish plank houses and is about stabilizing those in the criminal justice system to move them forward.

“Helping people make meaningful change and take steps to address the root cause of their behaviour is challenging work. The new NCC is a testament to our commitment to supporting those individuals and the dedicated correctional and health professionals who play a vital role in fostering safer communities.”

A look at the outside of the newly opened low-security buildings at the NCC. (Government of B.C.)

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The new correctional centre has 200 cells with double occupancy possible, although staff on-site prefer a single use per inmate.

Those housed at the facility are put into three categories: open, medium and secure.

Of the current inmates at the facility, 16 are enrolled in the renowned Guthrie Therapeutic Community, an intensive program for offenders with substance abuse issues.

Upgraded facilities for staff are also included in the new building with Farnworth describing conditions previously as “pretty brutal”.

A look inside one of the new NCC cells. (Government of B.C.)

In a first for BC Corrections on Vancouver Island, female offenders will have their own designated spaces, meaning fewer transfers to the Lower Mainland to serve sentences.

Nanaimo MLA Sheila Malcolmson said the 12 spaces is a potential game-changer.

“I am told that women will have the opportunity to serve sentences on weekends, if that’s what the judge decides is the right thing for them. That might be the difference between splitting up a family or even parents losing custody of their children.”

The facility overall, according to Malcolmson, is about rehabilitation and ensuring those exiting leave better than when they arrived.

“When people get into trouble and they are incarcerated, we really want people to have that opportunity to get better on the other side. To have the opportunity to access addictions treatment and counselling, employment training, skills training so they have the opportunity to have a better life and set a different path on the other side.”

The total cost of the project was $181 million and includes specialized spaces for those with complex mental health challenges, as well as a sophisticated health care centre.

Construction on site is not yet complete, with planned Indigenous programs and a horticultural centre still being developed.

NCC is a provincial institution for offenders serving sentences of a maximum of two years.

The common room of the low-security area. (Government of B.C.)

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