From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A full-scale model of a KP cell found in the Canada Penitentiary Museum.

Kingston Penitentiary (known locally as KP and Kingston Pen) is a maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario between King Street West and Lake Ontario.

Originally constructed in 1833–34, and officially opened on June 1, 1835 as the "Provincial Penitentiary of the Province of Upper Canada," it is one of the oldest prisons in continuous use in the world. It is well known and often referred as Alcatraz North. Its western wall is the eastern wall of the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, which hosted the sailing events for the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Immediately across the road is the Kingston Prison for Women (now used for office space), officially opened on January 24, 1934 to take female prisoners who had originally been housed in segregated quarters in the main facility. The penitentiary's imposing grey limestone walls give it the appearance of a massive 19th-century fortress.

On April 14, 1971, a riot at Kingston Penitentiary lasted four days and resulted in the death of two inmates and destruction of much of the prison. Security was substantially increased and prison reforms were instituted. Today the facility houses between 350 and 500 inmates, plus another 120 at R.T.C. (the Regional Treatment Center) contained within K.P.'s walls. Every inmate is in his own individual cells.

The city of Kingston is home to nine prisons, from low-security facilities to the maximum-security facilities, Kingston Penitentiary and Millhaven Institution(which was initially built to replace Kingston Pen).

In 1999, prisoner Ty Conn escaped from within the prison; although this feat had been accomplished on at least 26 occasions beginning in 1836, Conn was the first to succeed since 1958. Conn's body was found in Toronto: he died from a self-inflicted gunshot while speaking on the telephone to a producer from the CBC.

The Kingston Penitentiary is home to many of Canada's most dangerous and notorious criminals. Notable inmates include Paul Bernardo, and formerly, Clifford Olson and Roger Caron. Wayne Boden, the Canadian "Vampire Rapist" died there in March 2006. The Prison is considered "the dumping ground for Canada's worst inmates" and almost all are Protective custody inmates, who cannot function or live in other institutions due to their crime. The institution is the most violent in Canada with frequent assaults on staff and inmates.

• Official website
• Canada's Penitentiary Museum site