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Kingston Penitentiary, c. 1901 Kingston Penitentiary cellblock Unique architecture under dome connecting the shop buildings. Constructed from 1833 to 1834 and opened on June 1, 1835, as the "Provincial Penitentiary of the Province of Upper Canada", it was one of the oldest prisons in continuous use in the world at the time of its closure in 2013.
- The Penitentiary Opens in 1835
- Child Prisoners
- Charles Dickens' Visit
- Famous Escapes
- Infamous Inmates
- Prison Riots
- Guards and Operation Correct Zero
When the first five convicts arrived from Toronto in 1835 to serve their time, the new prison, then named the Provincial Penitentiary of the Province of Upper Canada, was not yet open for business, and so the inmates had to be held at the county jail for five days. Five months later, there were 62 inmates, including women. By 1850, there were 410 i...
There were children within KP's walls in the early years, incarcerated even at eight years old. Antoine Beauche was given a three-year sentence at KP in 1845 when he was eight. "This eight year old child received... 47 corporal punishments [the lash] in nine months, and all for offences of the most childish character," according to an 1849 commissi...
If such stories conjure up memories of a Charles Dickens novel, know that the great English writer visited KP in 1842. Dickens made a mention of it in his book American Notes, inexplicably writing, "There is an admirable gaol here, well and wisely governed, and excellently regulated in every respect."
Escapes from KP were few and far between. Two of the most famous escapes involved going over the wall with a ladder. In 1923, the man who has been called Canada's most notorious criminal, bank robber Red Ryan, led four inmates over the wall after first setting fire to a shed as a distraction. Ryan went back to robbing banks, was captured three mont...
KP has long been the place most of Canada's notorious inmates served time. Until recently, that list included Paul Bernardo, Michael Briere, Selva Kumar Subbiah, Russell Williams, Mohammad Shafia and his son, Hamed, and Michael Rafferty. This may result in part from KP being the maximum security prison where inmates who cannot be safely integrated ...
There were at least three big riots at KP. When a riot broke out in 1932, Communist Party of Canada general secretary Tim Buck was in a KP cell serving time for sedition. While guards were ordered to fire shots through the peep-hole of cells where and when they detected a commotion, they also fired seven shots into Buck's cell, which the government...
KP was a "dumping ground for bad guards," with some guards terrorizing fellow staff and inmates, according to a 1989 report commissioned by KP's warden. In 1999, at new warden Monty Bourke's request, the RCMP began an investigation code-named "Correct zero" that would use inmates as paid informants. Eight guards were fired, although one firing was ...
KP’s location was chosen after Hugh Thompson, editor of the Upper Canada Herald, wrote to the government in 1826, recommending that a penitentiary be built in his rapidly growing town of Kingston. They eventually listened, buying 100 acres two miles beyond the town’s western border, which was considered far enough from the population but close enough to conduct business.
Mar 13, 2021 · Kingston Penitentiary, sometimes shortened to “Kingston Pen,” in Kingston, Ontario, was Canada’s first maximum security prison, located on the shore of Lake Ontario. It opened on 1 Jun 1835 and housed prisoners guilty of offences of two years and longer, mainly from the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It closed officially on 13 Sep 2013.
Sep 29, 2024 · The Kingston Penitentiary has always been notorious in Canada. A maximum security prison, the “Kingston Pen” has housed some of Canada’s most notable inmates over its 178 years. The Kingston Pen was originally constructed in 1833-1834, opening its doors on June 1, 1835. Although largely closed to the public throughout its history, Charles ...
Description of Historic Place. Kingston Penitentiary National Historic Site of Canada is located in the western suburbs of the City of Kingston, Ontario, on the east side of Portsmouth Harbour. From the exterior, its massive stone wall and north gate provide an intimidating and memorable landmark. A group of early 19th century classical stone ...
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When Ontario isn’t locked down due to COVID-19, the Kingston Penitentiary is a historic site, open for tours, where visitors can go to learn about the events of murder and torture that happened at that site 50 years ago. Kingston has been Ontario’s “Penitentiary City” for nearly two centuries. Its first prison was built in 1835.
