ARCHIVED - Closure of Two Federal Prisons
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The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is the federal government agency responsible for administering sentences of a term of two years or more, as imposed by the courts. CSC is responsible for managing institutions of various security levels and supervising offenders under conditional release in the community.
Decommissioning of Kingston Penitentiary, the Ontario Regional Treatment Centre, and Leclerc Institution
Kingston Penitentiary (KP) and Leclerc Institution were built in 1835 and 1961, respectively.
Kingston Penitentiary is a maximum security facility located in Kingston, Ontario and is one of the oldest prisons in continuous use in the world. Kingston Penitentiary predates Confederation. It has four units that can accommodate 421 inmates.
The co-located Regional Treatment Centre (RTC) is an accredited psychiatric institution situated within the perimeter security of Kingston Penitentiary. Inmates are housed in two units. The RTC opened in 1959 and can accommodate 143 inmates.
Leclerc Institution is a medium-security facility, located in Laval, Quebec. It has five units that can accommodate 481 inmates.
These facilities were not built for today’s correctional system. For example, the location and design of control posts within Kingston Penitentiary do not allow for the most effective line of sight. Newer units have been designed to enhance correctional staff’s ability to see down ranges and more quickly intervene to respond or prevent incidents.
The Government of Canada has made it a priority to ensure that public safety is the paramount consideration in the criminal justice system, and that includes all correctional officers and CSC staff.
These closures will result in the reduction of positions within Ontario and Quebec. However, the majority of affected staff will be redeployed to other institutions nearby.
Transfer Decisions
Public safety is the number one consideration in all placement and transfer decisions.
In accordance with the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, CSC will ensure that offenders are appropriately placed at other institutions.
Increasing Effectiveness and Efficiency
The decommissioning of these facilities will result in an overall cost savings of approximately $120 million dollars per year.
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