The opposition parties are asking why after more than four years in office the Yukon government is still pouring money into planning a new jail and not building one.

'The need for a new correctional facility has been known,' NDP Justice critic Steve Cardiff said this week. 'The big question is: will they ever build it?'

The Yukon Party government has announced it will be placing $3.24 million into the continued planning of a new correctional centre for the territory.

The money comes after more than $2 million has been spent on the Corrections Consultation and the Corrections Action Plan during the party's first four years in office.

The allocations in this year's budget are meant to cover a needs analysis, functional programming, evaluations, conceptual and final design and cost estimating.

The goal is to end up with a blueprint for the building, said Justice Minister Marian Horne.

But a lot of work has already been done, said Cardiff.

'When are they going to end the planning and start the building?' he asked.

Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell said he doesn't understand how the government can continue to invest money into the planning of the jail when so much has already been spent on renovations on the current crumbling facility and past planning.

'Now there's $3 million more and no one's turning a spade,' said Mitchell. 'At some point you actually have to say there's a need and the needs need to be met.'

The current Whitehorse Correctional Centre has been open since 1967.

A new jail was originally put on the books in 1999 when the then-NDP government began putting money toward the new building.

The 2000-02 Liberal party regime, under the leadership of former premier Pat Duncan, than spent more than $2 million on the early stages of a new correctional facility before the Yukon Party took office and halted the project.

Then, in November 2004, the Yukon Party announced it would begin a consultation process to examine the correctional system and the possibility of a new jail.

Since that time, more than $1.5 million has gone into repairing the building.

Continuing to use a 'condemned building' is a disservice to the inmates and staff at the correctional centre, said Mitchell. 'The time has come to make decisions.'

The latest correctional centre announcement just sounds like 'back to the future again,' said Mitchell, with the government simply continuing to plan.

Horne said the government is committed to building a new correctional centre that reflects the needs of the clients.

'Replacing the Whitehorse Correctional Centre is part of the Yukon government's correctional redevelopment strategy to create the best correctional system in Canada,' she said.

The Yukon Party government will build the new facility within its five-year mandate, she said.

The current funding is the next stage following the release of 2006's Correction Action Plan, she said.

The project is now in the hands of a building advisory committee that is working with the Council of Yukon First Nations and the Kwanlin Dun First Nation.

The goal of the committee is to develop options for a new correctional centre that will meet the needs of offenders and staff for many years to come, said Horne.

The work, however, is not the actual site plan.

'The site plan is in place,' she said, adding the new facility will be a multi-level healing and reintegration centre. 'That's why the planning is so important.'

Meanwhile, the Justice Department has also announced $433,900 in funding for the territory's nine community justice projects.

Prior to the release of the federal budget, communities had been concerned these projects would meet their demise if the Conservatives had cut the Aboriginal Justice Strategy.

The strategy, however, was renewed for $14.5 million over the next two fiscal years.

It will see the territory's programs receive a combined total of $869,900.

'These projects are absolutely fundamental to our justice system in the Yukon,' said Horne.

The community-based justice programs focus on providing support to aboriginal communities in taking greater responsibility for the administration of justice and to help reduce crime and incarceration rates.

Across the territory, programming is offered by first nations in Dawson City, Liard, Teslin, Champagne-Aishikik, Southern Lakes, Old Crow and Ross River.

In Whitehorse, programming is provided by the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre.