Why did admissions to N.W.T. jails shoot up this year?

More people are being sent to jail in the NWT and the increase is significant. New figures show more than 900 admissions to NWT jails this past year. That's up from just over 600 the year before. An increase of nearly 50 percent. The biggest annual jump in five years. And it's adding pressure to a jail system that's already running out of room. CBC News previously reported that some inmates at Yellowknife's jail are being housed three to a cell because of overcrowding. But a lawyer in Hay River who does criminal defense says the problem goes well beyond a lack of space. He says more needs to be done to address housing, education and addictions rather than putting people behind bars. The criminal justice system is a very crude instrument. It works very well for those who are truly bad people. But for those who don't need to be isolated it doesn't help and there's another problem. The number of times that correctional staff have used force on inmates has also risen sharply. Five years ago there were six reported incidents. This past year there were 30. That's five times as many. The Department of Justice says the growing number of inmates may be one reason for the increase. But it says other factors including inmate behavior and risk levels could also play a role. As for keeping inmates and staff safe while the jail is overcrowded, the department says corrections officers are trained to handle those situations. CBC News also reached out to the union representing correctional staff. But an interview wasn't granted by deadline. Luke Carroll, CBC News, Yellowknife.