Toronto Central Prison
Encyclopedia
The Toronto Central Prison, also known as the Central Prison, Central Prison for Men, and more colloquially as The Toronto Jail (the third of four Toronto
area jails to be given that nickname), was a 336-bed facility located near the intersection of King Street and Strachan Avenue in Toronto, Ontario
, Canada
. It opened in 1873, when the area was still well away from any residential development. The prison was intended as an industrial facility and began with the manufacturing of railway cars for the Canada Car Company
. Hard work and discipline were considered the best forms of rehabilitation
and active industry would raise money for the prison.
The prison should have flourished as an example of modern penal facility of its time, but by the 1880s it had a well-deserved reputation for brutality. Its first warden was an alcoholic ex-military
officer and chief of the Toronto police
, and during his tenure would be accused of
ordering extreme beatings, denying medical treatment, and supporting clandestine, nighttime burials. Wardens that followed tried to adopt a less disciplinarian approach but the guards continued to brutalize the inmates. In 1911, Dr. J.T. Gilmour, one of the more reformist wardens, made news in the United States with his new outdoor work program, specifically one that allowed inmates to work without armed guards. Unfortunately, Dr. Gilmour's reforms were not enough to overcome the prison's reputation; In 1915 the prison was abandoned as changing attitudes toward crime and punishment led to a revamping of the province’s correctional system, and replaced by the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph
. For the next five years, the facility was used as an army base and a processing centre for new immigrants.
In 1920, the main prison building was demolished and much of the land sold for use by the railroads. Remaining buildings ended up being used by Hobb's, Dr. Ballard's, and finally by the neighbouring John Inglis and Company Limited
until 1981.
All that remains today is the Central Prison's Roman Catholic chapel (added to the main building in 1877) and the Paint Shop which became part of the city’s inventory of heritage properties in 1985. The Chapel is located at 43°38′19.64"N 79°24′52.21"W and the paint shop at 43°38′21.59"N 79°24′59.74"W. During its operation the prison also had an out-camp with a shale
and clay
quarry
on property in Mimico
. That property and its buildings became part of what is now known as the Mimico Correctional Centre
when the prison closed.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
area jails to be given that nickname), was a 336-bed facility located near the intersection of King Street and Strachan Avenue in Toronto, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It opened in 1873, when the area was still well away from any residential development. The prison was intended as an industrial facility and began with the manufacturing of railway cars for the Canada Car Company
Canada Car Company
Canada Car Company was a railcar manufacturer based in Turcot, Quebec , and later merged with several other companies to form Canadian Car and Foundry in 1909.Canada Car Company was incorporated January 1905 with W.P...
. Hard work and discipline were considered the best forms of rehabilitation
Rehabilitation (penology)
Rehabilitation means; To restore to useful life, as through therapy and education or To restore to good condition, operation, or capacity....
and active industry would raise money for the prison.
The prison should have flourished as an example of modern penal facility of its time, but by the 1880s it had a well-deserved reputation for brutality. Its first warden was an alcoholic ex-military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
officer and chief of the Toronto police
Toronto Police Service
The Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
, and during his tenure would be accused of
ordering extreme beatings, denying medical treatment, and supporting clandestine, nighttime burials. Wardens that followed tried to adopt a less disciplinarian approach but the guards continued to brutalize the inmates. In 1911, Dr. J.T. Gilmour, one of the more reformist wardens, made news in the United States with his new outdoor work program, specifically one that allowed inmates to work without armed guards. Unfortunately, Dr. Gilmour's reforms were not enough to overcome the prison's reputation; In 1915 the prison was abandoned as changing attitudes toward crime and punishment led to a revamping of the province’s correctional system, and replaced by the Ontario Reformatory in Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
. For the next five years, the facility was used as an army base and a processing centre for new immigrants.
In 1920, the main prison building was demolished and much of the land sold for use by the railroads. Remaining buildings ended up being used by Hobb's, Dr. Ballard's, and finally by the neighbouring John Inglis and Company Limited
John Inglis and Company
John Inglis and Company was a Canadian firm which made weapons for the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth military forces during the World War II era, then became a major appliance company....
until 1981.
All that remains today is the Central Prison's Roman Catholic chapel (added to the main building in 1877) and the Paint Shop which became part of the city’s inventory of heritage properties in 1985. The Chapel is located at 43°38′19.64"N 79°24′52.21"W and the paint shop at 43°38′21.59"N 79°24′59.74"W. During its operation the prison also had an out-camp with a shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
and clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
on property in Mimico
Mimico
The historic Town of Mimico is a neighbourhood in the south-western part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the south-east corner of the former Township of Etobicoke, and was an independent municipality from 1911 to 1967....
. That property and its buildings became part of what is now known as the Mimico Correctional Centre
Mimico Correctional Centre
The Mimico Correctional Centre is a provincial medium-security correctional facility for adult male inmates serving a sentence of 2-years-less-a-day or less in Ontario, Canada. Its history can be traced back to 1887...
when the prison closed.