A 93-year-old piece of Saskatchewan history is about to go under the wrecker's ball - and there are many who would say it's about time.

On Monday, a ground-breaking ceremony was held at the Regina Correctional Centre to mark the replacement of the oldest part of the jail, which dates back to 1913.

It will be demolished and replaced over the next two years with a $51.5-million facility with 216 beds. Other sections of the jail that were built in the 1980s won't be replaced.

Corrections officials said although they hope to incorporate a small facade of the old jail into the design of the new section, inside it will have the most up-to-date systems and designs.

That's a far cry from the old units that have come under harsh criticism from a variety of agencies in recent years, including the provincial ombudsman.
A 2002 ombudman's report cited a litany of problems with the old units - including dampness, poor lighting, bad air, mice and cockroaches.
Conditions were "substandard" to the point of abusing human rights, the report said.

Not only were conditions "degrading and humiliating," as the ombudsman put it, but there were security problems, too - a group of inmates escaped several years ago by breaking through a shower wall.

The new facility has a similar design to an existing jail in British Columbia. Officials said that since that one opened in 2000, there have been no escapes.

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