SASKATOON — Community Safety Minister Michael Weger emphasized that protecting Saskatchewan communities and families is the provincial government’s highest priority, as it continues to work closely with municipal police services, the RCMP and other law enforcement partners across the province.
He said administrative errors, which result in an inmate being wrongfully released from a correctional facility, are rare and, in 2025, account for less than 0.1 per cent of all releases. These errors may be due to clerical errors, communication issues, paperwork or processing mistakes.
“More than 99.9 per cent of offender releases are completed accurately in provincial correctional facilities each year. While these incidents are uncommon, any release from custody in error is taken seriously,” added Weger.
“When a release from custody in error occurs, the Ministry of Community Safety works closely with policing agencies to locate the individual, assess any potential risk to public safety, and return them to custody as soon as possible.”
A chart provided by the government showed that over the last four years, from 2022 to 2025, the release error rate fell from 0.6 per cent to 0.01 per cent. The 0.6 per cent error rate occurred twice: in 2022, out of 8,658 releases, and in 2024, out of 10,236 releases.
Weger added that a robust review process by an Interagency Release Committee is conducted when errors are made in inmate releases. The IRC reviews the release errors and makes recommendations to prevent similar errors in the future.
The IRC consists of representatives from custody, community corrections, courts, deputy sheriffs, police and prosecutions, who helped implement policy changes, including a “Do Not Release” information package for agencies transporting inmates and improving interagency communication.
“Public safety is always the primary consideration when determining whether a public notification is released. The Ministry’s policy is to notify the public when an individual released in error from a secure provincial correctional facility is assessed as posing a potential risk to public safety,” said Weger.
He added that public notifications were provided in four of the five cases of errors in the releases, three from the Community Safety Ministry and one by the police of jurisdiction. The person in the fifth case surrendered on the day of release after being notified of the error.
Weger said this was the reason no media release was required, although police services may also issue one independently or in conjunction with the ministry.
“Internal investigations are conducted by the ministries of Community Safety and Justice and Attorney General following releases in error from custody to mitigate future occurrences. Any necessary process or policy improvements will be implemented based on the findings, with the goal of further reducing the likelihood of future errors, enhancing public safety and maintaining public confidence in Saskatchewan's justice system,” said Weger.
Opposition calls for accountability
The Opposition, however, continues its call to hold the government accountable for errors in the release of inmates and for its failure to respond, with Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck saying leadership is about taking responsibility and being held accountable.
“We have called for a formal review of five instances in which inmates were released from Saskatchewan correctional facilities in error. The media has covered this issue extensively for days now. Still, the Premier and his Community Safety Minister remain in hiding,” said Beck in a statement.
“Let’s be clear: These incidents undermine public trust in the justice system and raise serious questions about whether these correctional facilities are properly resourced. It is time for the Sask. Party [government] to step forward and face questioning about these incidents.”
She then challenged the government to lay out in detail the steps it is going to take to prevent such errors in the future, since these are serious public safety issues in the province and crime rates have doubled compared to the national average.
“We have a government that is failing to deliver any plan to respond. My message to the people of Saskatchewan is that we don’t have to settle for this. We can demand better, including a real plan to fight crime and address its root causes,” she added.
