Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide to Members of this Assembly information about the incident which occurred at the River Ridge Young Offenders Centre on Sunday night.
Five young offenders broke out of the facility around midnight. They left one staff member locked in a cell and another one injured after being assaulted. Both open custody and secure custody offenders were involved. They drove away from River Ridge in a car belonging to a staff member. They were apprehended by the RCMP on the road to Hay River, after rolling the car in the ditch.
No staff or young offenders were seriously injured. Counselling support is being provided for those who suffered trauma during the course of these events.
As a result of these discussions, there will be immediate changes in security practices at River Ridge. During the next few weeks, staffing policies and all procedures in the centre will be reviewed in greater detail to determine whether other changes will be required.
It is anticipated that charges arising out of this incident will be laid against all of the young offenders involved.
An incident of this nature is always taken very seriously by correctional authorities and it will be analyzed to determine whether there are lessons that can be learned to improve the management of all correctional facilities. Thank you.