Trauma and addictions therapy program coming to Women's Correctional Centre

Manitoba's Women's Correctional Centre, located near Headingley, Man., is getting a trauma and addictions therapy unit, the provincial government announced Monday.

Research has found that roughly 85 per cent of people in custody have substance abuse issues, the province said in a news release. Justice Minister Cliff Cullen added that many women in custody also suffer from trauma, and are in a cycle of harm and incarceration.

"The Walking Bear Therapeutic Community [the program's name] will help participants gain the tools needed to overcome addiction and return to their families and communities as healthy and contributing members of society," Cullen said in the release.

The new program, modelled after a similar program at the Headingley Correctional Centre, will be able to accommodate up to 25 women at any one time, the release said. It willallow inmates and correctional staff to work together in creating an environment of reinforcement, accountability and positive role models.

The Recovering Our Identity program will also be offered to include an Indigenous perspective in the treatment program, the release said.

"This is a significant and much-needed step in supporting women to address the often complex issues that can lead to addiction and incarceration,"Lisa Cowan, executive director of the Tamarack Recovery Centre in Winnipeg, said in the release.

"With the increased demand for longer-term addictions treatment and programming that addresses trauma recovery as well as capacity building and skill development, the program is launching at the perfect time."