After spending five years looking at options for the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, the Yukon Party government has announced it will build the new jail in the same spot.

'Building on the existing site allows the work to proceed without delay and is the most cost-effective choice,' Justice Minister Marian Horne told a news conference this morning.

The footprint area where the former Liberal government spent approximately $1.3 million to pile gravel at the current facility in preparation for foundation work is where the new structure will be built.

Other locations were considered, including public lands and lot 226 in the industrial area, which was offered up by the Kwanlin Dun First Nation.

But the cost of establishing public services in a new location and concerns about dealing with potential contamination on the sites made the current space the best choice, said Horne.

The government hopes to begin construction in 2008 and have the new jail in operation by 2011.

Horne has promised the Yukon Party government is committed to having a new correctional centre open by the end of its current five-year mandate, which began last fall.

No costs estimates are yet available.

The Department of Justice won't be prepared to speculate on that until into the fall after the design and architectural phase of the project is underway, said Bob Riches, assistant deputy minister of community justice.

The correctional centre's building advisory committee examined four options for the new building.

It has selected to move forward with the fourth option, which is directed at creating a facility that promotes healing and provides programming space.

The single building will have 72 inmate rooms with the capacity to be double-bunked. There will be separate living areas for those in remand versus those who have already been sentenced. Women will also be separated from the male prisoners.

Other options examined by the committee included a structure similar to what already exists with larger living units; two structures with a pedestrian link; and a 'three-structure healing centre.'

The single building discussed in option one scored high during the evaluation process. But according to the press release provided this morning, it was considered to be 'essentially the warehouse.''

The chosen option had a score of 83 per cent when measured according to economic, functional and strategic criteria.

The structure will meet the demands of modern correctional principles by allowing flexible programming, said Riches.

It also is aimed at fostering a collaboration between Justice, first nations and community groups.

'This is not a jail. It is not there for punishment. It's there for rehabilitation. It's a correctional centre,' said Horne. 'A new building is only the half the story. Equally important is the type of programming that goes on inside the building.'

The design previously put forward under the Liberal government will not likely be implemented, said Riches.

'The new correctional centre envisions a different type of correctional centre than the previous design,' he said.

The focus will now shift to establishing the functional programming that will take place at the facility so the design of the building can begin in the fall, said Horne.

The design should reflect 'health, hope and healing,' she added.

There is $3.24 million in the 2007-08 budget for the planning of the correctional centre.

Andy Carvill, grand chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations, said the project is a demonstration of first nations' and the Yukon government's ability to work together.

He, however, declined to comment on if he would have preferred the new building to be put in a different location. The government has its reasons for its choice, he said.

'I think the location will serve its purposes.'

Carvill said he is pleased the discussion of the facility is revolving around programming and not just a new building. The focus must be on reintegrating people back into society, he said.

The current building will remain intact until the new centre is built. It will then be torn down and the land will be used for programming, said Riches.

The Whitehorse Correctional Centre has been open since 1967. It was designed to house 36 inmates but currently accommodates up to 80 at a time.

Approximately 75 per cent of its population is of first nation origin.

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 and more than $2 million was spent on the Corrections Consultation and the Corrections Action Plan.