Journal Pioneer

John Howard Society pleased Summerside courthouse and jail to be replaced

Province released request for proposal to update building

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – Summerside may soon have a new courthouse and jail, which is a fantastic idea, in Conor Mullin’s opinion, and something that Prince County needs.

“A new facility in Summerside, I think, is something that would be beneficial to everyone, to staff and inmates alike,” said Mullin, president of the John Howard Society of P.E.I.

On July 11, a request for proposal (RFP) for phase one went online from the department of transporta­tion and infrastruc­ture.

This phase of the RFP will focus on research. Specifical­ly, the province would like to address limits and requiremen­ts related to accessibil­ity, security and operations at the 150-year-old building.

As P.E.I.’s population grows, said Kip Ready, senior communicat­ions officer with the department of justice and public safety, as do the needs of the province’s court and correction­al systems.

“The Court Services and Correction­al Services teams within the Department of Justice and Public Safety recognize this,” wrote Ready in an email, “and are collaborat­ing on this RFP to better plan for the future.”

The hope, he added, would be to benefit both systems and the people impacted.

As of now, the plan would be to replace the present building at 108 Central Street.

A report will be due Oct. 1, with a project deadline of March 31, 2025.

EXPANDING NEED

One of Mullin’s hopes for the replacemen­t project would be a larger facility. Currently, many inmates do get transferre­d to the Provincial Correction­al Centre in Milton Station, which Mullin attributes to the Summerside jail’s small size.

Summerside’s facility, he added, may not have been built to house inmates longterm. A larger centre would therefore allow more inmates to stay in Prince County, close to their family and other supports.

“Sometimes, that takes people away from families, or other support networks, who might not be able to travel to town to visit with them,” he said. “One thing that I know from work at the John Howard Society, is that connection to your community and to your support network is such a hugely important thing, when it comes to reducing recidivism.”

When the new facility is built, Mullin also hopes to see increased programmin­g offered. He added that the John Howard Society would be open to communicat­ing and working with the government regarding the new correction­al centre.

The tender closes Aug. 8.