Millhaven Maximum Security Facility
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Millhaven Institution () is a maximum security
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
located in
Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. Approximately 500 inmates are incarcerated at Millhaven. Opened in 1971, Millhaven was originally built to replace Ontario's other aging maximum security prison,
Kingston Penitentiary Kingston Penitentiary (known locally as KP and Kingston Pen) is a former maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, between King Street West and Lake Ontario. History Constructed from 1833 to 1834 and opened on June 1, ...
in Kingston Ontario. A
riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
at Kingston Penitentiary forced Millhaven to open prematurely. During the period of 1977–1984, a Special Handling Unit (SHU) operated at Millhaven, alongside its general maximum-security population. A new Canada-wide Special Handling Unit was subsequently opened in
Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines () is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada, northwest of the city of Montreal in the Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality, in the region of Laurentides. Its population was 14,990 during the census of 201 ...
Quebec, and the Millhaven SHU was closed. Millhaven also housed the federal inmate intake and assessment unit for the Ontario region, the Millhaven Assessment Unit (MAU), until 2013, when the assessment unit was moved to Joyceville Institution, now Joyceville Assessment Unit (JAU), in order to facilitate the closing of Kingston Penitentiary. Federal parole violators were returned to MAU from whichever Ontario region they were arrested in, to appear in front of the National Parole Board for disposition. Millhaven is one of two identically designed maximum security institutions in Canada. The other is located at Archambault Institution,
Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines () is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada, northwest of the city of Montreal in the Thérèse-De Blainville Regional County Municipality, in the region of Laurentides. Its population was 14,990 during the census of 201 ...
, Quebec.


Bath Institution

Also located on the same property is Bath Institution, a medium security facility located along the shores of
Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
. Opened in 1972, it houses 340 inmates.


Living units

Millhaven consists of three main living units, a former segregation unit, a hospital wing, and the Ontario region's Regional Treatment Centre (RTC). There are approximately 120 men per unit. Units have two levels. Ranges are double-sided and have hydraulically locking metal doors (See video in "
External Links An internal link is a type of hyperlink on a web page to another page or resource, such as an image or document, on the same website or domain. It is the opposite of an external link, a link that directs a user to content that is outside its d ...
" section), housing two inmates per cell. The ranges/cells are designated by alphanumeric code (i.e. B1, H2 etc.). Main living units are designated by Alpha codes: A Unit = ''A Unit was a Federal Intake and Assessment Unit – Ontario region until 2013'' (MAU) (ranges B, C, & D) E Unit = ''E Unit was a Federal Intake and Assessment Unit – Ontario region until 2013'' (MAU) (and institutional workers) (ranges F, G, & H) I Unit = ''Administrative Segregation/Special Needs'' J Unit = ''Maximum Security Unit'' (MSU) (ranges K, L, & M) N Area = ''Main intersection and security control hub.'' MAU (Millhaven Assessment Unit) formerly housed inmates recently sentenced to federal time, in the Ontario region. They were assessed and placed in other prisons according to security needs. This responsibility now belongs to Joyceville Assessment Unit. MAU is classified as ''integrated'' (housing convicts serving time on all types of charges). MSU (J unit) houses habitually violent offenders. Many inmates with
life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are c ...
s are also housed in MSU. It was considered a "''gladiator school''", and convicts who serve time there were revered in the criminal subculture. On September 30, 2013 Kingston Penitentiary was closed. Many maximum security inmates housed there were transferred to Millhaven. A new 96 bed facility was constructed within the Millhaven compound, to house inmates from the Kingston Pen closure.


Security

The perimeter is surrounded by a double 9.1-metre (30-foot) razor fence, and has observation towers at the corners. A 1.2-metre (4-foot) "warning fence" inside the perimeter of the exercise yard acts as a boundary that inmates cannot cross without deadly force being used. Armed patrol vehicles with Colt Canada C8 rifles and parabolic microphones are on guard at all times. There are motion sensors in the outlying property, and multiple
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
units throughout. Visitors are subject to personal and vehicle search once on CSC property, and an ION scanner is used upon entry to detect drugs or other compounds on clothing or personal objects. The visiting area is equipped with
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
, and listening devices are embedded in each table. Inmates in the MAU (intake - A and E units) are allowed only screened visits, behind glass.


Notable events

Over the years, the institution has seen its share of violence. J unit is considered one of the most dangerous places in Canada's prison system. The most unruly inmates are often housed there. Millhaven was forced to open early as the prisoners from Kingston Penitentiary were moved there because of the
1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot The Kingston Penitentiary riot of 1971 was a prison riot that took place, leaving 2 inmates dead at Kingston Penitentiary, in Ontario, Canada, between 14 and 18 April 1971. Background Kingston Penitentiary had been opened on 1 June 1835 and was ...
. The prisoners from Kingston were beaten by the Millhaven guards as they stepped off the buses on 18-19 April 1971 with
Billy Knight William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Playing with the Indiana Pacers in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later the National Basketball Association (NBA), he ...
, the leader of the Kingston penitentiary riot, being singled out by the guards. On 30 April 1971, the Ontario Attorney General Allan Lawrence ordered an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police into the allegations that the guards of Millhaven had staged mass beatings of the prisoners from Kingston Penitentiary. On 27 May 1971, 11 guards from Millhaven were charged with 24 counts of assault, marking the first time in Canadian history that prison guards had been charged with assaulting inmates. On 10 December 1971, the Millhaven guards were brought to trial with Knight serving as the Crown's star witness. Knight testified that he been attacked with a nightstick as soon as he stepped off the bus, and then was forced to run a gauntlet of guards who beat him as he stumbled along.. Knight's injuries which included a vertical laceration on at the back of his skull along with a severally bruised face, a hairline fracture in his skull and a fracture on his left side of his skull supported his testimony. Two Millhaven guards, Bernard Evans and Grant Snider denied beating Knight and claimed that he had simply fallen and hurt himself. Clayton Powell, the Crown Attorney prosecuting the accused noted that it was unlikely that dozens upon dozens of prisoners had all hurt themselves by falling when entering Millhaven. Powell admitted that the victims of the beatings were criminals, but stated "even the worst criminal in a penitentiary is entitled to protection under the laws of our country". The defense counsel appealed to the emotions of the jury by saying that the accused were officers of the Crown charged with keeping dangerous criminals within Millhaven and that the witnesses for the Crown were "criminal scumbags". The trial ended with a jury acquitting all of the guards on 16 December 1971. Knight had more success in a civil courtroom as he won $3, 500 dollars in a civil suit against the federal government for the beating he had endured. On 24 April 1972, a Royal Commission under Justice J.W. Swackhammer presented its report into the causes of the Kingston Penitentiary riot. The federal government censored the parts of the Swackhammer report which stated that the allegations of the mass beatings at Millhaven on 18-19 April 1971 were true, and which recommended that Warden John D. Clark, Deputy Warden Howard S. Bell and Deputy Warden Patrick McKegeny be fired as Swackhammer accused Clark, Bell and McKegeny of ordering the mass beatings. On July 10, 1972, fourteen inmates escaped a recreation yard by clipping the chain link fence. A subsequent manhunt was undertaken by police and
Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
personnel. Three hundred police officers and soldiers from
CFB Trenton Canadian Forces Base Trenton (also CFB Trenton), formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hub ...
created a cordon that eventually yielded the capture of most of the escapees. In 1974, a prison riot at Millhaven lasted two days and saw 166 cells destroyed by the prisoners. At the time of the 1974 riot, a guard told a journalist from ''The Toronto Star'': "It is a place where you try to survive. That includes the cons, the guards and the brass who run the place". On the first anniversary of the August 10, 1975 suicide of prisoner Edward Nalon in the infamous "back hole" at Millhaven, prisoners at Millhaven refused to work and began a hunger strike for improvements to the prison system. They asserted that their strike was in solidarity with a strike at the
British Columbia Penitentiary The British Columbia Penitentiary (BC Penitentiary, commonly referred to as the BC Pen and the Pen) was a federal maximum security prison located in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The BC Penitentiary operated for 102 years, from 1878 ...
, and their strike inspired sympathy hunger strikes at
Collins Bay Institution Collins Bay Institution () is a multilevel correctional facility in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and falls under the supervision of Correctional Services of Canada. The facility was opened in 1930, and is now the oldest operational federal penite ...
and Joyceville Institution. In response to the 1976 uprising, a report presented to the House of Commons in October 1976 written by 11 MPs stated: "Millhaven's early history was marked by the use of clubs, shackles, gas and dogs often in combination. As former inmates of Kingston Penitentiary said: "Kingston of 1971 hasn't gone away, it's just moved down the road"". The report stated that the conditions of Canadian prisons were "a national disgrace" and stated that Millhaven was one of the worst prisons in Canada. In 1977 escapees were shot whilst climbing fences at Millhaven institution. Glenn Thomas Landers was killed while fellow inmate Florant Tanguay was injured by buckshot. Prior to the escape attempt a riot had been staged. Inmates had fashioned “zip” guns, and had also smuggled a number of .22 rounds into the prison to aid in their escape, which ultimately failed. On July 5, 1985, the warden of Millhaven (Al Stevenson) was placed under police protection due to credible threats to his life. The threats came from unknown Millhaven inmates. He was transferring into Millhaven from Stony Mountain Institution in Manitoba, where he had a reputation for strictness. Warden Stevenson and his family were placed under guard by the OPP (
Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the State police, provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. The OPP patrols Provincial highways in Ontario, provincial highways and waterways; protects Government of Ontario, provincial government buil ...
). This caution was taken due to the 1978 murder of Archambault Institution (
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
) warden Michel Roy. In 2004, correctional officers employed at Millhaven Maximum Security were concerned about their safety after a rash of inmate uprisings. The
Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta The Court of King's Bench of Alberta (abbreviated in citations as ABKB or Alta. K.B.) is the superior trial court of the Canadian province of Alberta. During the reign of Elizabeth II, it was named Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. The Court w ...
had ruled that an inmate can conceal a weapon (when in prison) if he/she is defending themselves. This ruling sparked a rash of weapon related attacks in the living units. In May 2009, Millhaven was the site of a riot which lasted less than 24 hours. On October 12, 2010, a correctional officer with a rifle shot a convict who refused orders to stop assaulting another prisoner in an outdoor recreation yard. On December 7, 2010, 120 inmates in the assessment unit refused to return to their cells at the end of a recreation period. They began to barricade themselves in the area and guards fired shotguns and used chemical agents to gain control of the situation. On March 21, 2011, inmate Jordan Trudeau, 29, was killed in an altercation. The event took place in the gymnasium area during exercise for maximum security inmates. Trudeau and another inmate, David Bagshaw, 21, attacked a third inmate and were fired upon by correctional officers in an attempt to gain control of the situation. Trudeau was killed by a shot from a 9mm carbine. Bagshaw was wounded, and was charged with attempted murder in regards to the incident. The OPP Prison Squad investigated the incident, and found CSC staff acted properly. August 11, 2014, the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
reported that Millhaven Institution was on lockdown to facilitate a major search. Containers that store cereal had gone missing, and officials were concerned enough to lock down the prison. During the lockdown, a serious inmate-on-inmate assault took place.


Controversy

David Martin, a manager at Millhaven, was arrested in August 2010 and convicted of smuggling various narcotics into the prison, apparently in connection with the
Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...
. He was found dead in his home on August 21, 2011. In late April 2013, the Canadian Press acquired freedom of information documents indicating that Federal Public Safety Minister,
Vic Toews Victor Toews (; born September 10, 1952) is a Canadian politician and jurist. Toews is a justice of the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba. He represented Provencher in the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 until his resignation on July 9, ...
overruled the Millhaven warden, who had approved a radio interview with Omar Khadr. In February 2014, an investigation was launched by the Office of the Correctional Investigator of Canada, due to complaints regarding the treatment of mentally ill inmates. These inmates had been transferred to Millhaven after the closure of RTC (Regional Treatment Centre) at Kingston Penitentiary. Photos released to the public show questionable facilities and cleanliness in that unit. Some mentally ill inmates had symptoms worsen upon arriving at Millhaven. There was also concern by the John Howard Society of Canada that the underground " bunker-like" location was a very negative atmosphere for these inmates.


CORCAN

Millhaven MSU inmates can gain employment in the CORCAN industries shop. Furniture for federal government offices is fabricated there. Inmates receive a small daily wage for this work, approximately $5 a day. Room and board fees are charged to these workers.


National security

In April 2006, a new division was created to house inmates being held on
security certificate In Canada, a security certificate is a legal mechanism by which the Canadian government can detain and deport permanent residents and all other non-citizens (i.e., foreign nationals) living in Canada. It is authorized within the parameters of th ...
s. It has been dubbed "Guantanamo".
Omar Khadr Omar Ahmed Said Khadr (; born September 19, 1986) is a Canadian who, at the age of 15, was detained by the United States at Guantanamo Bay for ten years, during which he pleaded guilty to the murder of U.S. Army Sergeant 1st Class Christopher S ...
was transferred to Millhaven from Guantanamo Bay on September 28, 2012, and subsequently transferred to Edmonton Maximum Security Penitentiary on May 28, 2013, due to threats made on his life in Millhaven. Members of a 2006 terrorist plot to attack Canadian targets are incarcerated at Millhaven.


Popular culture

The song "
38 Years Old "38 Years Old" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. It was released in April 1990 as the fourth single from the band's first full-length studio album, ''Up to Here''. The song peaked at No. 41 on the Canadian ''RPM'' singles chart. ...
" by
The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, was a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassis ...
refers to an escape from the prison. The opening lines of the song say "12 men broke loose in '73, from Millhaven Maximum Security." There was such an escape in 1972. The lyrics of the song were changed to '73 to rhyme with "maximum security", and there were 14 escapees not 12. The remainder of the song is fiction. The track "Caller Go Ahead" on Canadian performer
Bruce McCulloch Bruce Ian McCulloch (born May 12, 1961) is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, musician and film director. McCulloch is best known for his work as a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, including starring in the TV series of the s ...
's 2002 comedy album ''
Drunk Baby Project ''Drunk Baby Project'', released on October 1, 2002, is the second album by the comedian Bruce McCulloch. It has 14 tracks of McCulloch's comedic music. Track listing #"Drunk Baby Project" (Brian Connelly, Bruce McCulloch) – 3:09 #"Bob Seger" ...
'' features a caller on a sports radio show who is not able to watch televised games while at Millhaven. Stephen Reid (bank robber of
The Stopwatch Gang The Stopwatch Gang was a group of three Canadians, Paddy Mitchell, Lionel Wright, and Stephen Reid, who made a living robbing banks in the United States and Canada. From 1974 to 1980, they robbed more than 140 banks and stole the equivalent of abo ...
fame) stated that he was told by an aboriginal inmate whilst incarcerated at Millhaven in 1971 that it was built on a native burial ground. This meant the prison would be forever cursed, and a place of turmoil.


Notable inmates

* Bruce McArthur - serial killer *
Paul Bernardo Paul Kenneth Bernardo (born August 27, 1964), also known as Paul Jason Teale, is a Canadian serial rapist and serial killer dubbed the Scarborough Rapist, the Schoolgirl Killer and, together with his former wife Karla Homolka, one of the Ken an ...
- serial rapist and murderer *
Merv Blaker Murray Lloyd "Merv" Blaker (born 1945) is a Canadian outlaw biker, convicted in the Port Hope 8 case, turned social activist. Satan's Choice Blaker was born into an Ojibwe family in Baltimore. In 1942 Blaker's parents had renounced their status as ...
- one of the "Port Hope 8" * Gary Comeau - one of the Port Hope 8. * Juan Ramon Fernandez -gangster. *
Bernie Guindon Bernard Dieudonné Guindon (born 19 November 1942), also known as "Bernie the Frog", is an ex communicated outlaw biker, Boxing, boxer, and registered sex offender. best known as the founder and national president of Satan's Choice Motorcycle Club ...
-the president of
Satan's Choice Motorcycle Club Satan's Choice Motorcycle Club (SCMC) was a Canadian outlaw motorcycle club that was once the dominant outlaw club in Ontario, with twelve chapters based in the province, and another in Montreal, Quebec, at its peak strength in 1977. Satan's Choi ...
. *
Harley Davidson Guindon Harley Davidson Guindon (born 15 October 1985) is a clothing salesman, a convicted violent offender, and a convicted drug dealer. Early life Guindon was born in Oshawa, the son of Bernie Guindon, the national president of Satan's Choice Motorc ...
-outlaw biker. * David Hoffman-one of the "Port Hope 8". *
Omar Khadr Omar Ahmed Said Khadr (; born September 19, 1986) is a Canadian who, at the age of 15, was detained by the United States at Guantanamo Bay for ten years, during which he pleaded guilty to the murder of U.S. Army Sergeant 1st Class Christopher S ...
- convicted terrorist *
Billy Knight William R. Knight (born June 9, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player and executive. Playing with the Indiana Pacers in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later the National Basketball Association (NBA), he ...
- the leader of the
1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot The Kingston Penitentiary riot of 1971 was a prison riot that took place, leaving 2 inmates dead at Kingston Penitentiary, in Ontario, Canada, between 14 and 18 April 1971. Background Kingston Penitentiary had been opened on 1 June 1835 and was ...
*
Jeff McLeod Jeffery McLeod (born 1955) is a Canadian biker who was one of the Port Hope 8, members of the Satan's Choice Motorcycle Club accused of murder. McLeod's conviction for second degree murder is controversial. Satan's Choice McLeod was born into a m ...
- one of the Port Hope 8. *
Dellen Millard and Mark Smich Dellen Millard (born August 30, 1985) and Mark Smich (born August 13, 1987) are two Canadian convicted murderers from Toronto, Ontario, who together murdered Laura Babcock and Tim Bosma in separate killings in July 2012 and May 2013 respectively. ...
- serial killers *
Richard Sauvé Richard Michael Anthony Sauvé (born 27 July 1952) is a Canadian former outlaw biker, wrongly convicted of first degree murder in the Port Hope 8 case of 1979, turned social activist. Youth Sauvé was born into a working class French-Canadian fami ...
- one of the "Port Hope 8" * Hamed Shafia - murderer * Peter Demeter - Conspiracy to commit multiple murders


Books

*


References


External links


Millhaven InstitutionMillhaven Maximum Security Cell Video
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Lennox and Addington County Correctional Service of Canada institutions Prisons in Ontario 1971 establishments in Ontario Federal government buildings in Ontario