New data shows Saskatchewan and Alberta spend the least money per correctional inmate in Canada — approximately two-thirds or less than almost every other province and territory.
The numbers, published by Statistics Canada earlier this month, show Saskatchewan spends $199 per day per inmate. Only Alberta, at $193 per day, spends less per inmate.
Almost every other province and territory puts in more than $300 per day per inmate, according to Statistics Canada.
The numbers account for costs like salaries for guards and life necessities for inmates. They apply only to correctional centres, remand centres, people in custody awaiting trial, and those serving sentences shorter than two years.
Shawn Fraser, CEO of the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan, said the numbers are no surprise to him, given what he has heard from people who are or have been in custody.
“Partly what’s driving this number is the fact we’re busting at the seams in most Saskatchewan institutions,” he said.
Fraser thinks there are two possible steps to take: increase funding or work to have fewer people in custody.
To lower the number in custody, work needs to be done to prevent people from coming into contact with the justice system in the first place, he said.
“When people hit the justice system, it’s already too late. The crime’s already been committed.”
Fraser said most correctional facilities in Saskatchewan are understaffed, which impedes inmates’ ability to access programs and health care and can play a role in the rate of recidivism.
While prevention is important, providing good pay and benefits for corrections staff also needs to be part of the conversation, he added.
“Everyone’s goal in the end should be less crime and safer communities.”
The numbers are for 2022-23; Statistics Canada’s online report says inferences “should be made with caution” given that some provinces may calculate their overall expenditures differently.
A spokesperson for Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, in an emailed statement, said Statistics Canada “specifically cautions” against using the data cited “to make inter-jurisdictional comparisons.
“An in-depth analysis would be required to fully examine and understand any meaningful differences between interprovincial expenditures.”
Former prison watchdog Howard Sapers said the gap compared with other provinces is too big to be dismissed out of hand as just accounting and infrastructure — it suggests underspending on correctional staff along with programs and supports for inmates after they’re released.
“This is important not just for those who have concerns about what is going on behind prison walls but also for those who are concerned about public safety,” said Sapers, who served as the Correctional Investigator of Canada from 2004 to 2016.
“There is a relationship between what you invest and what you get out of it.”
Justin Piche, a University of Ottawa professor who studies incarceration, said he believes Alberta’s comparatively low spending level is also a result of the Edmonton Remand Centre — the largest jail in Canada — relying on surveillance cameras to reduce staffing costs.
“The way that they’ve done it makes it cheaper to run than other models that exist across the country,” Piche said.
That’s not necessarily a good thing, he added.
“A facility that’s more bereft of human interaction is going to be more inhumane than others. Human beings need human connection, and in these giant facilities there’s fewer opportunities for that.”
Since the Edmonton Remand Centre opened in 2013, multiple inquiries into inmate deaths have led judges to call for more staffing and face-to-face contact.
Arthur Green, spokesman for Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis, declined to answer an emailed question on why Alberta has the lowest daily cost. In a statement, Green said the province is committed to the health and safety of people in correctional and remand centres, but “at the same time, we are responsible and accountable to taxpayers.”
Green said work is always evolving to rehabilitate inmates while keeping the public safe.
Piche and John Howard Society of Alberta president Chris Hay stressed the importance of investing in crime prevention programs, as well as programs that help offenders get back on their feet after release.
Hay noted that the Alberta government is investing in reintegration support, albeit slowly. His organization recently received $500,000 from the province to pilot a program at the Lethbridge jail in southern Alberta.
The program, mirroring one in Ontario, involves every inmate working with a case manager before being released and pairs them with non-profit organizations to access support and resources after they get out.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Hay said. “We’re starting slow, but the Alberta government is playing the game here.”
Earlier this summer, the Saskatchewan government announced something similar, though not directly funding correctional facilities: $330,000 over two years for the Elizabeth Fry Society to provide reintegration supports for female offenders.
“It can be challenging for individuals leaving custody to know how to access the programs and services that are available to help them successfully reintegrate back into the community,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman said at the time.
Hay said programs like his organization is piloting are key to reducing recidivism, which can’t be divorced from the justice system: the more effort is put into punishment, the higher the chance inmates will reoffend.
Alberta doesn’t prioritize rehabilitation, he said.
“(It) puts a higher priority on enforcement and punishment.”
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