Mr. Speaker, I tabled a master development plan, prepared by an independent consultant group for the Department of Justice, which reviews the present correctional system in the Northwest Territories, and makes recommendations regarding its direction to the year 2006.
The master development plan takes into account and considers in its recommendations the current and projected population of the Northwest Territories, rates of crime, types of crime and offender issues specific to our jurisdiction. It looks at rates and types of sentencing as provided by the courts, socio-economic trend data as well as the projected useful life of all of our existing correctional facilities.
The conclusions of the master development plan recommend a broad range of needs and requirements for the correctional system here in the Northwest Territories. Briefly, these recommendations include increases to the fiscal resources, a shifting from high cost custodial services to more effective community corrections, vastly improved information management and staff training services, improved institutional and community programming and the repatriation from southern Canada of all federally sentenced territorial citizens back to correctional centres nearer their home communities.
The common theme of the solutions proposed in the master development plan is the necessity to expand community correctional facilities and open custody release facilities. It is suggested that this overall approach occur as quickly as practicable in order to avoid the much greater costs of institution-based expansions in the future for both adult and young offender populations. Obviously, this extensive report and recommendations, prepared after a broad-based 18 month review process, will require careful analysis by the department, in the context of the overall justice plan which this Assembly recommended to be completed for next October.
That analysis has begun, Mr. Speaker, and I will welcome comments from the Members of this House and from the communities and the public as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.