After further consultation with stakeholders, the Ministry of Children and Family Development has adjusted plans to centralize female youth in custody in Burnaby and reduced the use of police cells for temporary placement of girls in custody.

Changes include:

• Girls in Prince George and Victoria, who are remanded or sentenced to custody and who are to be placed in Burnaby, will be directly transported to Burnaby on the same day of the court appearance. If same-day transportation is not possible, they will be placed overnight at the local youth custody centre and transported to Burnaby the next day. This will avoid the overnight use of local police cells.
• Prince George girls who are remanded to custody for a week or less will be placed at the Prince George custody centre instead of being sent to Burnaby. However, if a girl is alone in a unit, she will be given the choice to move to Burnaby to reduce feelings of isolation.

These changes strengthen the transportation plan the ministry already had in place, including flying girls in custody from outside of the Lower Mainland directly to Burnaby from the nearest airport instead of from regional hubs. If an overnight stay in Prince George or Victoria is necessary, they will be placed in the local youth custody centre until they are escorted to Burnaby.

The McCreary Centre Society will conduct an independent evaluation including extensive interviews with girls in custody and following release from custody to ensure the centralization is an overall improvement on existing services. The Representative for Children and Youth will also monitor the circumstances on an ongoing basis.

The centralization of girls' services in Burnaby is the result of a review of program requirements to address the needs of youth in B.C.'s three youth custody centres in Burnaby, Victoria and Prince George - and of B.C.'s low and decreasing youth incarceration rate.

It will enable improvements to youth justice services, such as enhanced rehabilitative programs, expedited escort of girls to Burnaby, improved support for family visiting and enhanced community-based alternatives to custody for girls in Prince George.

The specific nature of the new services in Prince George will be determined after consultation with community partners and stakeholders.

For more information on B.C.'s youth justice and custody services, please visit http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/youth_justice/index.htm

Media Contact:
Shae Greenfield
Manager, Media Relations
Ministry of Children and Family Development
250 356-1639