Toronto West Detention Centre
Encyclopedia
The Toronto West Detention Centre, often referred to as simply The West, is a maximum security remand
facility located in Rexdale
, a community located in the north-west corner of Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. The facility was known as the Metropolitan Toronto West Detention Centre until Rexdale, as part of the City of Etobicoke, became part of the newly amalgamated City of Toronto in 1998.
With a designed capacity for 631 prisoners, the Toronto West Detention Centre currently houses adult males who have been remand
ed into custody while awaiting trial or sentencing, are serving short sentences, or are awaiting transfer to federal or provincial correctional facilities. Over the years the Toronto West Detention Centre has at times also housed female and juvenile offenders. From October 1997 through January 1999 the facility underwent extensive retrofitting of its security systems using up-to-date technology. The facility has also housed foreign nationals being detained on security certificate
s.
In January 2008, staff at the prison staged a walk out
in protest of three correctional officers being disciplined for failing to notice actions later seen on security cameras.
Detention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
facility located in Rexdale
Rexdale
Rexdale is a neighbourhood located in the north-west corner of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It covers the northern section of Etobicoke, which was an independent city until it merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new City of Toronto in 1998. Rexdale was named...
, a community located in the north-west corner of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The facility was known as the Metropolitan Toronto West Detention Centre until Rexdale, as part of the City of Etobicoke, became part of the newly amalgamated City of Toronto in 1998.
With a designed capacity for 631 prisoners, the Toronto West Detention Centre currently houses adult males who have been remand
Detention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
ed into custody while awaiting trial or sentencing, are serving short sentences, or are awaiting transfer to federal or provincial correctional facilities. Over the years the Toronto West Detention Centre has at times also housed female and juvenile offenders. From October 1997 through January 1999 the facility underwent extensive retrofitting of its security systems using up-to-date technology. The facility has also housed foreign nationals being detained on security certificate
Security certificate
In Canadian law, a security certificate is a mechanism by which the Government of Canada can detain and deport foreign nationals and all other non-citizens living in Canada...
s.
In January 2008, staff at the prison staged a walk out
Walk Out
Walk Out is a 2007 album by Lady Saw.-Track listing:# Hello Lady Saw# Big up# Me and My Crew # Silly Dreams# No Less Than A Woman # Not World's Prettiest# You Need Me# Baby Dry Your Eyes# Walk Out# Chat To Mi Back...
in protest of three correctional officers being disciplined for failing to notice actions later seen on security cameras.
Notable prisoners
- Karla HomolkaKarla HomolkaKarla Leanne Homolka, also known as Karla Leanne Teale , is a Canadian serial killer. She attracted worldwide media attention when she was convicted of manslaughter following a plea bargain in the 1991 and 1992 rape-murders of two Ontario teenage girls, Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, as well as...
, Canadian serial killer, co-accused with her then husband Paul BernardoPaul BernardoPaul Kenneth Bernardo, also known as Paul Jason Teale , is a Canadian serial killer and rapist, known for the sexual assaults and murders he committed with his wife Karla Homolka and the serial rapes he committed in Scarborough.-Early life:Bernardo's mother, Marilyn, was the adopted daughter of a... - Abdullah KhadrAbdullah KhadrAbdullah Ahmed Khadr is the oldest son of Ahmed Khadr and brother of Omar Khadr who has been charged with war crimes before the Guantanamo military commission....
, awaiting extradition, 2004-current. - Laurie Bembenek, also known as Bambi Bembenek.
- Karlheinz SchreiberKarlheinz SchreiberFriedrich Karlheinz Hermann Schreiber is a German and Canadian citizen, an industrialist, lobbyist, fundraiser, arms dealer and businessman...
, the German-Canadian businessman who is embroiled in a dispute with former Canadian Prime MinisterPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Brian MulroneyBrian MulroneyMartin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
. - Hassan AlmreiHassan AlmreiA Syrian, Hassan Ahmed Almrei arrived in Canada in 1999 claiming refugee status. He has been since held, and accused of terrorist connections and ideology, for his "reputation... for obtaining false documents", and his relationship with Ibn al-Khattab following time shared together during the...
, a SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n national, who came to Canada in 1999 on a forged passportPassportA passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
and is alleged to have been involved in an al Qaeda forgeryForgeryForgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
ring. - Ernst ZundelErnst ZündelErnst Christof Friedrich Zündel is a German Holocaust denier and pamphleteer who was jailed several times in Canada for publishing literature which "is likely to incite hatred against an identifiable group" and for being a threat to national security, in the United States for overstaying his visa,...
, was held at Toronto West from 2003 until his 2005 deportation to Germany.