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Millhaven Institution is a maximum security prison located in Bath, Ontario. Approximately 500 inmates are incarcerated at Millhaven.

Opened in 1971, Millhaven was originally built to replace the Ontario's other aging maximum security prison, Kingston Penitentiary, in Kingston, Ontario. A riot at Kingston Penitentiary forced Millhaven to open prematurely. During the period of 1977–1984, a Special Handling Unit (SHU) operated at Millhaven, alongside it's general maximum-security population. A new Canada wide Special Handling Unit was subsequently opened in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines Quebec, and the Millhaven SHU was closed.

Millhaven also houses the federal inmate intake & assessment unit for the Ontario region. (Millhaven Assessment Unit or MAU). Federal parole violators are also returned to MAU (from whatever Ontario region they were arrested) to appear in front of the National Parole Board for disposition. Correctional Services of Canada has stated it will likely move Millhaven Assessment Unit to Joyceville Institution in Kingston, Ontario. This will facilitate more suitable housing at Millhaven, for transferred in inmates from Kingston Penitentiary.

Millhaven is one of two identically designed maximum security institutions in Canada. The other is located at Archambault Institution, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec.

Living units

Millhaven consists of three main living units, a segregation unit and a hospital wing. 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" 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 = Federal Intake and Assessment Unit - Ontario region (MAU) (ranges B, C, & D)

E Unit = Federal Intake and Assessment Unit - Ontario region (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) houses inmates recently sentenced to federal time, in the Ontario region. They are assessed and placed in other prisons according to security needs. MAU is classified as integrated (housing convicts serving time on all types of charges).

MSU (J unit) houses habitually violent offenders, and is non-integrated (no sex offenders, informants or incompatibles). Many inmates with life sentences are also housed in MSU. It is considered a "gladiator school", and convicts who serve time there are revered in the criminal subculture.

On September 30, 2013 Kingston Penitentiary was closed. Many maximum security inmates that were 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.

The exact housing arrangements of such inmates as Paul Bernardo and Russell Williams are not known, although It is likely they are in administrative segregation.

Security

The perimeter is surrounded by a double 30-foot razor fence, and has observation towers at the corners.

There is a 4-foot "warning fence" inside the perimeter of the exercise yard, that acts as a boundary inmates cannot cross without deadly force being used. Armed patrol vehicles with Colt Canada C7 rifles and parabolic microphones are on guard 24/7. There are motion sensors in the outlying property, and multiple CCTV 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, 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, "Thrill Haven" 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.

On the first anniversary of the August 10, 1975 suicide of prisoner Edward Nalon, 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, and their strike inspired sympathy hunger strikes at Collins Bay Institution and Joyceville Institution.

July 5th, 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 in to Millhaven from Stony Mountain Institution in Manitoba, where he had a reputation of strictness. Warden Stevenson and his family were placed under guard by the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police). This caution was taken due to the 1978 murder of Archambault Institution warden (Quebec) Michel Roy.

In 2004, correctional officers employed at Millhaven Maximum Security were concerned about their safety after a rash of inmate uprisings. The Supreme Court of Canada 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 rifle. 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 11th, 2014 the Canadian Broadcasting Company reported that Millhaven Institution was on lockdown to facilitate a major search. Containers that house cereal had gone missing, and was of concern enough to lock down the prison. During the lockdown a serious assault took place on an inmate

Controversy

Drug-smuggling Millhaven prison worker found dead

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 Hell's Angels. He was found dead in his home on August 21, 2011.

Federal cabinet minister stops media interview of Omar Khadr

In late April 2013 the Canadian Press acquired freedom of information documents indicating that Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews overruled the Millhaven warden, who had approved a Radio interview with Omar Khadr.

Treatment of mentally ill inmates at Millhaven investigated

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 weekly wage for this work, approximately $20.

National security

In April 2006, a new division was created to house inmates being held on security certificates. It has been dubbed "Guantanamo North". Omar Khadr 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" by The Tragically Hip 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 alludes to fiction.

The track "Caller Go Ahead" on Canadian performer Bruce McCulloch's 2002 comedy album Drunk Baby Project 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 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.

References

1. "MILLHAVEN INSTITUTION Bath, Ontario". Correctional Service of Canada. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
2. 1971 Kingston Pen Riot
3. http://www.justicebehindthewalls.net/book.asp?cid=788
4. Senstar Case Study - Millhaven
5. "RTC inmates being moved to Bath, Millhaven". The Whig Standard - Kingston. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
6. "Millhaven Institution - Range Upgrades A Unit". Correctional Service Of Canada. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
7. "Millhaven Institution - Range Upgrades E Unit". Correctional Service Of Canada. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
8. "Lockdown at Millhaven". Correctional Service of Canada. 2008-02-15. Archived from the original on 2009-09-24.
9. "Security Classification". Correctional Service of Canada. 2013-08-15.
10. Contenta, Sandro (2008-07-25). "Crowded prisons crucible for crime". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
11. VandenBrink, Danielle (2012-06-20). "RTC Closure - Kingston". thewhig.com. Sun Media Canada. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
12. "Kingston Penitentiary: Canada's most famous prison closes its doors". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-09-29.
13. "Senstar - Millhaven Case Study" (PDF). Senstar. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
14. "Notice of Proposed Procurement". Government of Canada. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
15. "Iced: The Story of Organized Crime in Canada". John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
16. Contenta, Sandro (2008-07-25). "Crowded prisons crucible for crime". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2011-05-26.
17. Hunger Strike at Millhaven
18. "Security Tight at Millhaven," Globe and Mail, August 12, 1975, p2
19. AP (07-05-1985). "Police watch Millhaven warden after threats". Retrieved 08-15-2014. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
20. Cherry, Paul (05-05-2014). "Man behind warden's murder denied parole". montrealgazette.com. Postmedia Canada. Retrieved 07-15-2014. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
21. "Millhaven guards fear for safety". Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved 2004-11-03.
22. Prison riot quelled at Millhaven pen
23. "Millhaven Inmate Dead". Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
24. "Millhaven Inmate Dead". Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
25. "Slain prisoner shot by guard". QMI Agency (Canoe.ca). Retrieved 2011-09-09.
26. "Rengel Killer Bagshaw Charged". Cancrime. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
27. "Millhaven Inmate Dead". Kingston Whig Standard. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
28. Millhaven Major Lockdown
29. "Drug-smuggling Millhaven prison worker found dead". CanCrime. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
30. "Omar Khadr Interview Nixed After 'Overt Political Influence'". Huffington Post. 2013-04-28. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
31. "Mentally ill inmates kept in 'grossly inadequate' conditions". CBC News. CBC Corporation. 02-27-2014. Retrieved 08-14-2014. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
32. UPI (02-28-2014). "Canadian prison for mentally ill inmates called inadequate". Retrieved 15-08-2014. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
33. "CORCAN is a key rehabilitation program". Correctional Service of Canada. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
34. "Canadian prison being called Guantanamo North". Retrieved 2014-08-11.
35. Gillis, Wendy (11-08-2013). "Is Canada doing enough to 'de-radicalize' convicted terrorists?". TheStar.com. The Toronto Star. Retrieved 15-08-2014. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
36. The Escape That Time Forgot
37. David Wallechinsy, Amy Wallace, Ira Basen, and Jane Farrow (2005-12-27). "Stephen Reid's 10 toughest prisons in North America". Retrieved 2010-12-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

• Millhaven Maximum Security Cell Video

44°11′50″N 76°45′08″W / 44.19729°N 76.75229°W / 44.19729; -76.75229

• Buildings and structures in Lennox and Addington County
• Correctional Service of Canada institutions
• Prisons in Ontario