Location Warkworth, Ontario Phone +1 705-924-2210 Capacity 670 Security class Medium security | Managed by Corrections Canada Province Ontario Opened 1967 | |
Address 15847 Northumberland County Rd 29, Warkworth, ON K0K 3K0, Canada | ||
The Warkworth Institution is a medium-security prison facility located in the municipality of Trent Hills, Ontario, between the communities of Meyersburg and Warkworth. The prison is the largest federal correctional institution in Canada with a population of approximately 625 housed in five units.
History
Construction of Warkworth Institution started on March 26, 1965 on 208 acres (0.84 km2) of land that had been purchased by the Department of Justice. In 1967, the institution began operation entirely with staff and no inmate population. In September 1967, ten blocks were opened and the first six inmates arrived from Joyceville Institution. The official opening took place on October 14, 1967. At the end of the 1968 fiscal year, the facility housed 92 inmates. In 1971, the Living Unit concept was introduced.
A riot broke out at approximately 9:00pm on July 21, 2009, during which prisoners took control of the prison infirmary. Subsequently one inmate died of a drug overdose in his cell. Inmates broke the cement that acts as bars across the outside windows of the cells. By doing this inmates were able to get out of their cells. This can be seen when walking to the gym on 9 block (unit 1) there are different style cement bars.
Warkworth is a sister institution to Springhill, NS; Cowansville, PQ; and Drumheller, AB.