The Elizabeth Fry Society in Saskatchewan has decided to suspend most of its services while the organization undergoes restructuring.

Officials say the family literacy program will continue and some regional advocacy efforts will be transferred to sister organizations in Alberta and Manitoba.

Board President Dr. Nancy Poon says the federal government’s new crime legislation will mean increasing demands on the society:

“It’s just going to criminalize more women.  We’re seeing overcrowding already in our federal institutions, and so we need to meet the needs of the women as they go through the system.”

Poon says if new funding can be arranged, the society’s Saskatchewan chapter should be running again by this fall.