A look inside the N.W.T.'s new women's jail

The new women's correctional unit located in Fort Smith N.W.T., is officially open.

While female inmates won't be moving into the $23.6-million medium-security facility until the end of October, the public got a sneak peek on Friday.

The new complex, which has beds for 23 women, is the first corrections facility designed for women in the N.W.T.

It replaces the women's unit at the Fort Smith Correctional Complex.

"This is going to mean changes for the women. Better programing, more safety, more space," said deputy warden Janelle Minute.

The current jail,two nondescript houses located across the street from one another, were built in 1960and served as a correctional facility since the early 90s.

Serious safety and security concerns noted in an Auditor General report in 2015 "warranted the construction of a new facility."

Deficienciesinclude past problems with mould, no fencing, no sprinkler systemor locks.

"This finenew building is a vast improvement over the old one," said Louis Sebert, the territory's Minster of Justice. "We'revery proud of it."

The differences between the two facilities can be seen from the street.Fencing surrounds the jail that's 1,700 square metres in size.The yard for inmates is natural, with shrubs, wild berry bushes and stands of aspen and spruce trees. There's a cabin, wood shed and space for a teepee, garden or tanning moose hides.

Inside, Minute says they tried to carry-over the homeyfeel of the old jail.Furniture is soft with lots of natural lighting and there aren't anylocks on the rooms where women sleep, though if anyone leaves the sleeping wing at night an alarm will sound.

The inmates will continue to help prepare daily meals. There's also a new teaching kitchen so women and elders can prepare traditional food together.

A resident nurse is on site, which is new.

The current jail allows female inmates to come into the jail with young children.The new space has a private bedroom equipped with a crib for a mother and her baby to ensure bonding continues while the mother is incarcerated.

The new ceremonial room will help the women practice cultural activities, including smudging.It's the only jailin the N.W.T. with a special air-venting systemto allow smudging.

There's also more space for living, learning and healing says Andrea Steed, the new jail's case manager.

She says women have to wait months for programming becausethere's no room in the current jail.

"You can't have a program running and the counsellor coming to do sessions and have other meetings happening [at the same time]because you only have one space," she said.

Steed says the inmates raised concerns that the new facility will feel and look like the "hard-core prisons" they have seen on TV.

"We've ensured even the finishes ... they look more like a home than a cinder-block facility. It's a healthier environment for the women."