The provincial ombudsman is investigating conditions at a notorious women’s jail in Saskatchewan.
In a public notice on Monday, provincial ombudsman Sharon Pratchler called on anyone who has been incarcerated in the Pine Grove Correctional Centre to contact her office if they’ve been “adversely impacted by experiences or conditions there.”
“We are aware of significant concerns through complaints made to our office, and decided it is in the public interest to investigate,” said Pratchler, who is tasked with looking into complaints about provincial government services.
The provincial women’s jail located just north of Prince Albert, Sask. has been plagued by concern in recent years over unsanitary conditions and overcrowding, and a spate of deaths among its inmates.
Two women died at Pine Grove in the first two months of the year after being “found unresponsive in their cells,” and between 2019 and 2022, there were six deaths in the facility.