Last municipal lock-up closing

Shelburne operations ceased May 16; RCMP exploring options

It's the end of an era with the termination of lock-up jail services provided to local law enforcement by the Municipality of Shelburne.

The municipality made the decision to no longer provide lock-up services as a result of a recent inspection of their existing municipal building, which is being replaced with a new $6.1-million administrative centre that is currently under construction.

“Due to the costs to upgrade the lock-up to meet the new provincial standards, along with the high-risk liability associated with operating such a facility, council made the decision to no longer provide this service,” said Warden Penny Smith in a media release. “These types of decisions are never easy as they impact employees and services to our community.”

Shelburne is the last municipality in the province to provide lock-up services – a service that is typically provided by the police of a jurisdiction, says the municipality. If accused persons facing charges are then ordered by the courts – following a court appearance – to be kept in custody, they are moved into provincially-run correctional facilities.

The Municipality of Shelburne says since receiving the report from the inspection, municipal staff have been meeting with representatives of the RCMP and the province to discuss potential short-term and long-term solutions.

“In light of the deficiencies noted in the report, the Shelburne RCMP conducted a review of its continued use of the lock-up. Without renovations to remedy the noted deficiencies, the RCMP made the decision to discontinue use of the facility," the municipality says in its release. "As a result of the RCMP decision, the municipality's primary paying client, the difficult decision was made to close the facility effective May 16.”

The change affects both the Shelburne and Barrington RCMP detachments. Alternate arrangements have been made for the Shelburne and Barrington RCMP detachments to transport those in custody to other jurisdictions for safe holding while in custody.

The RCMP Detachment in Barrington is in the process of upgrading its two lock-up cells as part of a short-term solution.

“Our partnership with the Municipality of the District of Shelburne and the Shelburne Lock-Up has continued to provide a safe place for those that our officers arrest and hold in two cells," said Supt. Dan Morrow, of the Southwest Nova District RCMP.

"We take the safety of those arrested by our officers very seriously. While this change will mean that prisoners will no longer be held in cells in Shelburne, the RCMP will continue to provide high-quality policing to the residents and communities of Shelburne County moving forward," he said.

Three full-time employees and one casual lock-up guard will be laid off as a result of the lock-up ceasing its operation.

While the Department of Justice will continue to hold court sessions at the existing municipal administrative centre, the new municipal administrative centre that is being built does not have courtroom capacity or a lock-up facility, said Shelburne

Municipal CAO Trudy Payne.

“The province was asked to move to the new building in which a courtroom and lockup would have been included. The province's decision to not move to the new building resulted in a courtroom and lock-up facility not being part of the final design,” she said.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Employment Services Development Canada will be tenants in the new administrative centre, which is being built on 35 acres of land across from the Shelburne Regional High

School on Woodlawn Drive. It is expected to be completed later this year.

As for the future of the existing municipal administrative centre after it is vacated, Payne said the municipality's director of Economic Development is looking at options for other uses for the vacant space in the building.

ANOTHER LOCK-UP SITUATION

In the neighbouring county of Yarmouth, meanwhile, lock-up facilities do exist through the RCMP, however, what happens to accused persons who are held in custody by the courts has been an issue throughout the COVID pandemic.

Operations of the Southwest Nova Scotia Correctional in Yarmouth were scaled back early on in the COVID-19 pandemic due to medical staff/COVID-related reasons – resulting in almost a complete closure of the jail.

Although it was called a temporary measure, it's gone on for two years.

During this time the correctional facility has accepted short-term-hold admissions, meaning people are held for up to 48 hours, pending a court appearance. After this, they are transferred to another facility if they haven't been released by the court.

Sending inmates outside of Yarmouth has created many issues, including lawyers not having easy access to their clients; families not being able to easily visit those in custody; the sheriff's department spending huge amounts of time from early morning to late evening on the road transporting prisoners; some delays during court appearances; and Corrections Services employees wondering about their jobs.

Some employees who have not been working at the correctional facility in Yarmouth have moved elsewhere for work or pursued employment outside of the corrections system.

“While this change will mean that prisoners will no longer be held in cells in Shelburne, the RCMP will continue to provide high-quality policing to the residents and communities of Shelburne County moving forward,” Supt. Dan Morrow Southwest Nova District RCMP