Kingston Pen

We took a five-day weekend getaway to eastern Ontario, starting with a tour of the legendary Kingston Penitentiary, a Maximum Security federal prison closed since 2013 but formerly home to Canada's most dangerous criminals. My sister actually worked there briefly, nursing in the prison hospital.

Tours were led by Queen's University students who had studied the history of the institution, but at points throughout the tour we were met by retired guards, telling great stories without revealing any specific details which would violate the Privacy Act. But you got the idea.

Cool place. Too bad they don't do night tours.

Main Entrance

Conjugal visits!

The North Gate

The Hub

The newer (larger) cells - no shared cells in Maximum Security

Cell Block G - tales from a retired guard

Same cell block, after the 1971 riot

Segregation Cells

Built in 1833

Workshop

The Yard