Institutional Profiles

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Atlantic Region

NOVA INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN

Truro, Nova Scotia

Contact Information

Map*

About the Institution

Nova Institution is a multi-level facility, located in Truro, Nova Scotia and is one of five regional facilities for women across Canada. It opened in 1995 and can accommodate up to 64 inmates.

The facility operates eight separate homes containing single-bedroom accommodations for between five to seven women per house. Two other living units operate to support the Intensive Intervention Strategy for Women for the purpose of providing additional mental health and security for those women who require it. The Structured Living Environment Unit (SLE) can accommodate up to eight offenders who require specific mental health intervention, while the facility’s Secure Unit can accommodate up to 10 maximum-security women. The Secure Unit also incorporates Nova's Segregation Unit which consists of three cells.

The main programs at the institution include: living skills, sex offender programs and substance abuse treatment.

Facility Characteristics

• Institution for women offenders
• Security level: multiple
• Date opened: 1995
• Number of inmates: 66
• Average length of sentences:
  • Less than 40 months: 59 per cent of inmates
  • 40 months and over: 30 per cent of inmates
  • Life sentences: 11 per cent of inmates
• Number of employees: 156

April 2010

*This information has been provided by an external source. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy, the currency and the reliability of the content, the Correctional Service of Canada does not offer any guaranty in that regard.