A new $8.5 million Regional Intermittent Centre is being built inside the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC).
The 112-bed centre is designed for offenders serving sentences of 90 days of less, generally on weekends only.
The 25,000 square-foot facility will be built inside the gates of the EMDC, but will be completely separate from the main building, including a separate entrance.
Ministry of Corrections staff say that will cut down on contraband items, primarily drugs, entering the main building.
They say it will also reduce overcrowding at EMDC and reduce the volatility created by the intermittent population coming and going, improving safety for inmates and correctional staff.
Yasir Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Service, said in a statement, "[The centre] is a key part of our transformation of Ontario's correctional system focused on increased access to rehabilitation programs, enhanced mental health supports, and community-based reintegration partnerships."
This is only the second intermittent facility in the province, and what’s unique is that it will be built with what is called a 'tensioned membrane' stretched over concrete walls.
It’s a structure common for corrections facilities in B.C., Alberta and the U.S. and officials say it will cut down construction time from five or six years to just 10 months, but still be completely secure.
The facility will also include; electronically secured doors, locks, windows and washrooms, furniture that is bolted to the floor, full camera coverage and hallways with uninterrupted sight lines.
Construction will get underway later this month and the facility is scheduled to open later this year.
