Janalee Bell-Boychuk

Janalee Bell-Boychuk says every day she drives up the small hill to Stony Mountain Institution, she wants to be there. As Deputy Warden overseeing 800 inmates in the medium and maximum sections of the prison, Bell-Boychuk has a challenging career, which she says is also extremely rewarding.

"We do see successes. Every time a person goes out that door and does not reoffend, that is success," says Bell-Boychuk, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from UWinnipeg’s Justice and Law Enforcement* program in 1995.

Having spent 20 years at Stony Mountain Institution, she has also been part of an evolution in the corrections field.

"Our programming is researched and we are constantly evaluating and expanding. For instance, today we are doing more to help inmates with mental health issues and have a heightened focus on interventions for Indigenous offenders."

Bell-Boychuk knew she wanted to work in the criminal justice field because she wanted a career where she could create change and make a difference. "You have to believe that people can change. We are here to assist offenders to become law-abiding citizens and contribute to public safety."

As a UWinnipeg student, she loved the small classes and the encouraging relationships with professors. Today, two decades later, she still visits UWinnipeg as a guest speaker in the Criminal Justice department and provides student work placements at Stony Mountain Institution.

Her advice to other students considering a criminal justice career is "be passionate about the work, be up for a challenge, and enjoy variety because you will never have two days the same."

*now called Criminal Justice