Kingston’s Maximum Insecurity

 

I have to preface this by saying. All my life, I have been trying to stay out of jail, and now I go into it voluntarily. I have to rethink that. Oh, by the way, it hasn’t been that difficult to avoid Canada’s oldest serving prison, until its closure in 2013. Just so we are clear, and I did not know this, jail is where they “throw away the key,” and a penitentiary is a place for “rehabilitation.” Located near Queen’s University, which for all intense and purpose is just outside the downtown core of Kingston. It is a looming stone edifice that states institutional form in its significant stone architecture. You don’t need anyone to tell you where you are, the place of nightmares and imagination. This is Kingston’s maximum insecurity.

 

Stay in Line and pay your fee-Kidding ?

I am not sure if this is a ploy to make you feel institutionalized. Here you have to sign a waiver, show Identification and adhere to a strict code of conduct. I have been on many tours, but here I thought next to come was some fingerprinting. OK, I can work with the vibe. The general tour is about 1.5 hours long, with only one bathroom,  and no potable water. Bring your water bottle. But here is the crime. To wander through the facility with a guide(s) is 33 dollars CAN. plus HST( Harmonized Sales Tax) and a service charge. All in 40 CAN. Sound like larceny. But like myself, those that want the experience gladly paid it. Off we were. http://www.kingstonpentour.com/plan-your-visit/policies-waivers-rules1/

I want my Lawyer

Informed of the rules, the tour began. The tour guide was a Queen’s student and conducted the tour magnificently. The first thing I noticed was the area the inmates would speak to their loved ones or lawyers.  Through a pane of glass with a telephone to there ear, just like I have seen in every crime movie- it was pretty cool. As we meander around the area, we are taking to the area where conjugal visits. Necessary and human. Although we are inside the walls, we have yet to enter where the inmates would serve there time. Inside the North gate, I could not believe how well manicured the ground were kept. It was like you were walking on the White House lawns, theses we immaculate. You would think that these are maintained this way for tourists. Kingston Pen housed many Landscapers.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The ugly underbelly

Moving into the Penitentiary. Its design is like a wheel and spokes we were currently at the hub. Here an ex-prison guard would recount what happened on the infamous day of  April 14th, 1971. When riot broke out that lasted four days. During the chaos, six guards are held hostage, two inmates died, and a massive amount of destruction to the facility. Eventually, to try and get some order the military along with additional guards, were necessary to defeat the violence. In the history books, this is the story you will read.  So many more vile atrocities had occurred that only through a first-hand account can you genuinely realize what had happened. Order being restored, many of the offenders were placed in the still under construction Milhaven prison, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millhaven_Institution,   others remained in Kingston. The riot did lead to reforms. That eventually determined independent chairperson to deal with prisoners’ grievances.

Stopping to look at the conditions the inmates were housed in, it was what one would expect but more significant somehow. Not the space as the cells we of moderate size. But the magnitude of what this institution was, here you were in the “big house,” and you could feel prison rules only applied. After dealing with this realization, we headed towards the workshops.

Time for work

Prisoners got paid for the work they did. The company that held most of the contracts not surprisingly was the Government of Canada. The pay was low as one would expect, really just enough to buy “smokes’ and contraband items. In this area was where the riot of August 14th, 1954. During a baseball game in the “yard,” a guard was attacked, this led to many inmates setting the grounds a flame. Most the damage was done in the shop area. In all the chaos, one inmate tried to escape. With the help of the Canadian armies, 160 troops the riot, fortunately, last only two hours.  When tolled, the final damage exceeded 2 million CAN. in today’s economy.

Some have tried and succeeded

Many have tried, only a few succeed. In 1923, Norman “Red” Ryan escaped with a couple of fellow inmates after setting fire to a shed to be used as a distraction. Utilizing a ladder, they went over the wall, stole a car,  never seen again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Ryan

Robert Brule, 1991 fabricated a key for a set of handcuffs, had faked an illness and was taken by the guards into an ambulance in restraints. Using the key, he managed to get out of his binding in the prison washroom and made a run for it. He was apprehended letter that day by police and off duty correction officers.

Perhaps the most notable of all the attempts is that of Ty Conn. He managed to elude police for an unprecedented two weeks. According to police reports Ty Conn suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound while speaking on the phone to CBC correspondent Theresa Burke.

In the history of the Penitentiary, since 1836, there have been only 26 escape attempts with TY Conn evading the authorities for the most extended duration of time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ty_Conn

Some infamous names

Kingston Penitentiary has been the home of many of Canada’s most notorious and dangerous criminals. James Donnelly of the Black Donnelly, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Donnellys was scheduled to be hung in 1859. He was granted clemency and only did seven years in Kingston. Now that is compassion.

As mentioned, some of the most dangerous people in Canadian history has spent time in Kingston Penitentiary. This list is long, so I will only name a few from the most recent past. Paul Bernardo, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bernardo. Russel Williams, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Williams_(criminal).Clifford Olson, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Olson.  Grace Marks, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Marks. Roger Caron, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Caron.Wayne Boden,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Boden. Mohammad and Hamed Shafia,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shafia_family_murders were imprisoned in the Penitentiary for the killing Mohammad’s three daughters and first wife. Michael Rafferty has been relocated from Kingston https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Tori_Stafford.   This group seems to top my list of the most deplorable people the country has ever witnessed.

It is odd that while you are on the tour, the  guide will not tell you the names of some of the higher-profile inmates, although it is in the public domain. No matter how much I prodded her, she would not divulge that information. So much dedication to secrecy, but why?

On the outside

Although a Penitentiary, Kingston has always been a fascinating topic. You know you never want to go there, but you always knew of it. You may have met people that spent some time there and the stories that they told added to the mystery of Kingston.  A fascination with fear. Here is a place that can quench many thirsts. The historian will love the building and the grounds and the stories therein. For others, the mysteries behind the stone walls come alive and speak to you. For me, I was just happy to visit as a museum and not have to share a cell with anyone. Kingston’s maximum insecurity, or perhaps just mine.

Kingston penitentiary, I would have to say is a conundrum that offers much to many. Now that I have been I hope that this inspires you to “walk the line.”

Please leave a comment on this or anything else you would like to discuss.

 

Until next time

Your Vacation Your Escape

 

VTE