 Demolition of the stone security wall on March 10, 2008 | |
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| Location | Kingston, Ontario, Canada |
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| Coordinates | 44°13′21″N76°30′48″W / 44.2225°N 76.5133°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Opened | 1934 |
| Closed | 2000 |
| Managed by | Correctional Service of Canada |
| Notable prisoners | |
| Karla Homolka | |
The Prison For Women ("P4W"; French : Prison des femmes [1] ), located in Kingston, Ontario, was a Correctional Service of Canada prison for women that functioned at a maximum security level from 1934 to 2000.
The first female inmates arrived on January 24, 1934. Before this date, maximum security female offenders were housed in the Female Department of the maximum security Kingston Penitentiary located across the street. [2]
Beginning in 1995, female inmates were gradually transferred to other federal correctional institutions. On May 8, 2000, the last female inmate was transferred away from the P4W. [3]
In January 2008, Queen's University took ownership of the former site of the Prison for Women. The property is 8.1 acres (33,000 m2) in size. The university archives were originally slated to be housed there once renovations were completed, but this is no longer the case. [4] The transformation of the property included the demolition of three of the four stone security walls. [5] In June 2018 Queens University sold the site to ABNA Investments Ltd. [6] In 2021 Signature Retirement Living announced plans to turn the property into a seniors community. [7] In February 2023 it was announced that this plan had been cancelled and that the property would instead be developed into a mixed-use neighbourhood. [8]
The institution, and several women who were incarcerated there, were profiled in Janis Cole and Holly Dale's 1981 documentary film P4W: Prison for Women . [9]
The Prison for Women was closed following a number of controversial incidents. LSD was administered to inmates at the prison as part of tests that are today considered to be ethically dubious. [10] As well, a riot at the prison in 1994 resulted in Justice Louise Arbour, then of the Ontario Court of Appeal heading up what became known as the Commission of Inquiry into Certain Events at the Prison for Women in Kingston which found that the treatment of prisoners at the facility had been "cruel, inhumane and degrading". [11] Routinely overclassified in their security category, [12] [13] Indigenous inmates constituted a considerable proportion of the inmate population and reported particularly violent treatment by prison staff. [14]
Kingston Penitentiary is a former maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, between King Street West and Lake Ontario.
The Correctional Service of Canada, also known as Correctional Service Canada or Corrections Canada, is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders sentenced to two years or more. The agency has its headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario.
Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, last named Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex, was a maximum-security prison in the community of Petros in Morgan County, Tennessee, operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction. It was established in 1896 and operated until 2009. Beginning in 2018, the site opened for tours and events, such as concerts. The grounds of the prison are included in part of the Barkley Marathons.
Millhaven Institution is a maximum security prison located in Bath, Ontario. Approximately 500 inmates are incarcerated at Millhaven.
The Regional Reception Centre is a Canadian federal prison for men located with Archambault Institution at the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) complex at Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, a short distance from Mirabel International Airport.
The Cummins Unit is an Arkansas Department of Corrections prison in unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States, in the Arkansas Delta region. It is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, Gould, and Varner, 28 miles (45 km) south of Pine Bluff, and 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Little Rock.
The Waupun Correctional Institution is a maximum security penitentiary in Waupun, Wisconsin. The prison is under the command of Warden Randall Hepp.
The Oklahoma State Reformatory is a medium-security facility with some maximum and minimum-security housing for adult male inmates. Located off of State Highway 9 in Granite, Oklahoma, the 10-acre (4.0 ha) facility has a maximum capacity of 1042 inmates. The medium-security area accommodates 799 prisoners, minimum-security area houses roughly 200, and the maximum-security area with about 43 inmates. The prison currently houses approximately 975 prisoners. The prison was established by an act of the legislature in 1909 and constructed through prison labor, housing its first inmate in 1910. The facility is well known for the significant roles women played in its foundation and governance, most notably having the first female warden administer an all-male prison in the nation.
Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution is a South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) state prison for women in Columbia, South Carolina. The Women's Reception and Evaluation Center, which processes all females entering SCDC, is in the prison.
The Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. The NDOC headquarters is located on the property of the Stewart Indian School in Carson City.
Holly Dale is a Canadian filmmaker and television director. Over the course of her career, Dale has worked in the Canadian film and television industry as a director, producer, writer, and editor. Although she has completed solo projects, the majority of Dale's work has been in collaboration with her former classmate, Janis Cole. The Thin Line (1977), P4W: Prison for Women (1981), and Hookers on Davie (1984) are some of their most recognized projects. Dale's work has been featured in festivals around the world including North America, Europe, and Australia. She has also received award nominations and wins, including a Gemini Award in 1982 for the Best Theatrical Documentary for P4W: Prison for Women.
Stony Mountain Institution is a federal multi-security complex located in the Rural Municipality of Rockwood immediately adjacent to the community of Stony Mountain, Manitoba, about 24 km (15 mi) from Winnipeg.
Ferndale Institution is the former name of the minimum-security federal correctional annex of Mission Institution, now referred as Mission Minimum Institution. Is located in Mission, British Columbia, in the central Fraser Valley, about 80 kilometres east of Vancouver. Ferndale opened in 1973 and can house up to 166 inmates, who live in residential-style units on a federal reserve shared with Mission Institution.
Nova Institution for Women is a Canadian federal prison for women in Truro, Nova Scotia. The facility, which handles different levels of offenders, can accommodate up to 70 inmates. Nova Institution opened in 1995. The maximum security unit opened in 2002 or 2003.
North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women (NCCIW) is the primary North Carolina Department of Public Safety prison facility housing female inmates on a 30-acre (12 ha) campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, and serves as a support facility for the six other women's prisons throughout the state. The facility's inmate population, which is the largest in the state, consists of inmates from all custody levels and control statuses including death row, maximum security, close custody, medium security, minimum security, and safekeepers.
Collins Bay Institution is a multilevel correctional facility in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and falls under the supervision of Correctional Services of Canada. The facility was opened in 1930, and is now the oldest operational federal penitentiary in Ontario. The main prison is medium security, with a minimum security facility residing on the same property. A 96-bed maximum security unit is also operational.
Joliette Institution for Women is a prison for women in Joliette, Quebec, northeast of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is operated by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and has a capacity of 132 prisoners.
Janis Cole is a Canadian filmmaker, producer, writer, editor and professor. She has directed several films over the span of her career. Most of these films were done in cooperation with her friend and professional partner, Holly Dale. Her most notable films include Cream Soda (1976) and Prison For Women (1981).
P4W: Prison for Women is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Janis Cole and Holly Dale and released in 1981. The film profiles several female inmates at the Prison for Women of Kingston Penitentiary.
The Commission of Inquiry into Certain Events at the Prison for Women in Kingston was a Canadian inquiry headed by Justice Louise Arbour concerned with prisoners' rights and the treatment of federally-incarcerated women. The Commission's final report was released in 1996, and was dubbed the Arbour Report.
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