Nunavut’s five correctional outpost camps plenty for now

Nunavut’s justice minister, and some MLAs, say they want more correctional outpost camps across the territory for rehabilitating convicted criminals — but, at present, the five camps that already exist rarely operate at capacity.

The issue of rehabilitative outpost camps came up in the Nunavut legislature last month during committee of the whole discussions over the justice department’s capital budget estimates.

Outpost camps provide criminal offenders an opportunity to connect with Inuit heritage and culture by learning land skills, usually from an elder.

After spending time at an outpost camp — a time that can range from a few weeks to more than a year — an offender will often stay at a half-way house where they are expected to find a job, open a bank account and join a counselling program, explained Jean-Pierre Deroy, the territory’s director of corrections.

“Members [of the legislature] recognize the importance of effective healing and rehabilitation programs in correctional facilities to help enable offenders to successfully reintegrate into their communities,” South Baffin MLA David Joanasie said during committee hearings Oct. 30.

“Members noted that the department [of justice] is interested in establishing additional outpost camps in the territory,” Joanasie said.

Pat Angnakak, MLA for Iqaluit-Niaqunnguu, asked justice minister Paul Okalik if any new camps have opened up.

“I have not seen new ones,” Okalik replied. “I, too, would like to see new ones.”

But Deroy, told Nunatsiaq News that five camps, for the time being, is plenty.

“Right now, I’d say five is the maximum we can handle,” Deroy said.

That’s because criminal offenders are not forced to go to outpost camps, which are run by private contractors, but can choose to do so if they meet the criteria.

And right now there isn’t a demand from inmates for more outpost camps, Deroy said.

Because outpost camps are run on contract as private businesses, new camps need to make financial sense for the owners operating them.

“I could have eight camps and eight eligible and interested offenders,” Deroy said. “So that’s one offender in each camp. That’s not very good revenue for the owner. If I keep the number [of camps] down, I can put more offenders in each camp.”

Those wishing to operate an outpost camp can submit a contract request, Deroy said.

An employee with correctional services will then inspect the premises ensuring certain criteria are met, such as gun cabinets, electrical generators, heating sources and adequate food.

“I know that MLAs would like to see all sorts of camps out there, but we have to be careful,” Deroy said, “because it’s better to have less camps and keep them busy than to have some camp operators starving because they have no offenders.”

But Deroy, who has worked in corrections for more than 20 years, said he believes strongly in the camps because they provide cultural counselling from respected community members.

The camps also provide offenders, many of whom were “basically raised on TV,” with a chance to learn survival skills on the land.

“Most of them come back from the camps and they’re really thankful because it really puts them in touch with something they never really had before in their own family,” Deroy said.

To be a camp operator is really a vocation, Deroy said, because it involves inviting offenders into your home, involving your whole family with what is essentially counselling.

“They’ll build a qamutiq and during the qamutiq-building they’ll talk about family issues,” Deroy said, “about how they came to be where they are, how the Inuit population came to be where they are. It’s traditional counselling and learning on the land.”

As valuable as outpost camps are, though, Deroy said they represent only one step on the path to reintegrating an offender with his or her community.

Justice minister Okalik, responding to a question posed by Angnakak in the legislature Oct. 30, said capital funding is available to camp operators for larger purchases, such as snowmobiles.

Contracts with camp operators expire after three years, Deroy said, but all five existing camps, which have from two to four beds each, renewed their contracts in 2013.

“I love my camps, I wouldn’t go any other way,” Deroy said. “But I have enough right now.”