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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 in 1833–34, and opened on June 1, 1835 as the "Provincial Penitentiary of the Province of Upper Canada", it was one of the oldest prisons in continuous use in the world at the time of its closure. Kingston Penitentiary was one of nine prisons in the Kingston area which range from low-security facilities to the maximum-security facilities Kingston Penitentiary and Millhaven Institution (which was initially built to replace Kingston Pen). The institution was built on land described as "lot number twenty, in the first concession of the Township of Kingston". The site was chosen for "combining the advantages of perfect salubrity, ready access to the water, and abundant quantities of fine limestone."〔(J. A. Edmison ''The History of Kingston Penitentiary'' Kingston, Ontario Queen's University. p. 25. ) Retrieved January 20, 2010〕 Six inmates were accepted when the penitentiary was opened.〔 Charles Dickens visited Kingston in 1842 and commented in his ''American Notes'', "There is an admirable jail here, well and wisely governed, and excellently regulated, in every respect. The men were employed as shoemakers, ropemakers, blacksmiths, tailors, carpenters, and stonecutters; and in building a new prison, which was pretty far advanced towards completion. The female prisoners were occupied in needlework."〔Charles Dickens, ''(Pictures from Italy: And American Notes for General Circulation )'', p. 362, G.W. Carleton & Company, 1874〕 The penitentiary's western wall adjoins the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, which hosted the sailing events for the 1976 Summer Olympics. Immediately across the road to the north is the now closed Kingston Prison For Women (the property is now owned by Queen's University), opened on January 24, 1934 to take female prisoners who had been housed in segregated quarters in the main facility. On August 14, 1954, a two-hour riot broke out in the penitentiary—the worst in its history up to that point〔"Fire and Riot sweep Kingston Penitentiary". ''The Lethbridge Herald'', August 16, 1954, p.1〕—involving 900 inmates. During the riot a breakout was attempted, but was foiled by the guards at the gate. The trouble apparently began during a morning baseball game in the exercise yard, when a guard was attacked, followed by several inmates setting fire to various buildings in the yard, including the shops and a warehouse, causing an estimated $2 million in damages. The disturbance was quelled by the guards aided by 160 Canadian Army troops and a squad of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers. The 50 ringleaders were placed in solitary confinement.〔〔"Extra Guards Patrol Big Pen After Riot". ''Syracuse Herald Journal'', August 16, 1954, p.7〕 On April 14, 1971, a riot 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. Six guards were held hostage, but all were eventually released unharmed.〔(Special Report: 'A horrendous scene' ), Kingston Whig-Standard April 9, 2011〕 The prisoners issued formal grievances to the media including lack of recreational time, lack of work, and concerns about their future conditions in the newly built Millhaven Prison.〔 A 1971 inquiry into the riot, chaired by Justice J.W. Swackhamer, reported that that they had "already noted a number of causes for Kingston's failure: the aged physical facilities, overcrowding, the shortage of professional staff, a program that had been substantially curtailed, the confinement in the institution of a number of people who did not require maximum security confinement, too much time spent in cells, a lack of adequate channels to deal with complaints and the lack of an adequate staff which resulted in the breakdowns of established procedures to deal with inmate requests. The polarization between inmates and custodial staff, between custodial staff and professional staff, led inevitably to the destruction of the program and deterioration in the life of the institution."〔 This riot, together with successors in 1975, led to an official Sub-Committee on the Penitentiary System in Canada, chaired by Justice Mark MacGuigan.〔(Annual Report 2007/08, 35th Anniversary, Office of the Correctional Investigator, 1973-2008 )〕 The 1977 MacGuigan Report recommended the creation of an Independent Chairperson (ICP) to investigate prisoner complaints.〔(Independent Chairperson to Adjudicate Disciplinary Proceedings 1977 )〕 From 1971–81, the penitentiary served as Corrections Canada's Ontario Region Reception Centre. Before it closed, the facility housed between 350 and 500 inmates plus another 120 at the Regional Treatment Centre contained within the prison. Every inmate was given an individual cell. In its later years, Kingston Penitentiary became known as a “dumping ground for bad guards”, and after an investigation by the RCMP, eight guards were terminated.〔Daniel Schwartz, (“Kingston Pen: 7 things to know about Canada’s notorious prison” ), “CBC News”, September 26, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2014〕 In 1990, Kingston Penitentiary was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.〔(Kingston Penitentiary ), Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada〕 On April 19, 2012, the Government of Canada announced plans to close the Kingston Penitentiary, along with the Leclerc Institution in Laval, Quebec and the Regional Treatment Centre in Kingston, Ontario.〔("Kingston penitentiary in Ontario to close" ), CBC News. Retrieved April 19, 2012〕 Kingston Penitentiary officially closed on September 30, 2013. The penitentiary was opened during October/November 2013 for public tours hosted by the United Way of KFL&A and Habitat for Humanity Canada.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.unitedwaykfla.ca/special-tours-to-provide-a-glimpse-behind-kingston-penitentiary-walls/ )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kingston Penitentiary」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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