Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women
 |
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| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Status | Closed |
| Opened | 1872 |
| Closed | 1969 |
The Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women was the first women's (16 years of age or older) prison in Canada. At various times, the facility was also known as the Mercer Complex, Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Females, and Andrew Mercer Ontario Reformatory for Females.[1] Located on King Street West in Toronto, Ontario, it opened in 1872 with the idealistic promise of a "homelike" atmosphere for its inmates. One of the major tenets of the reformatory was to instill feminine Victorian virtues such as obedience and servility. Work, such as cooking, baking, and cleaning were also a major part of prison life. According to one superintendent of the reformatory, "of all wretched women the idle are the most wretched. We try to impress upon them the importance of labour, and we look upon this as one of the great means of their reformation."[2]
By 1965 three institutions made up what was then referred to as the Mercer Complex: the Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women in Toronto, the Ontario Women's Guidance Centre, and the Ontario Women's Treatment Centre, both in Brampton at what would become the Vanier Centre for Women in 1970. The Treatment Centre, originally part of the reformatory in Toronto, was set up in 1955 for the treatment of alcoholism, drug addiction and psychiatric disorders. It was relocated to Brampton in 1963 and named the Ontario Women's Treatment Centre, also to become part of the Vanier Centre for Women. The Ontario Women's Guidance Centre opened in 1959 at the same site and concentrated on academic and vocational training.[1]
At times the Mercer Reformatory also housed female offenders under age sixteen in a separate part of the building. These separate areas were distinctly known as the Industrial Refuge for Girls from 1880 to 1905 and the Ontario Training School for Girls from 1952 to 1960.
Despite its promising beginnings, the Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women would become the centre of controversy with allegations of torture, beatings, experimental drugs, and medical procedures, all in the name of reform. In 1964, a grand jury was convened to investigate, and was brought to prominance by The Toronto Daily Star's front page headline "Secret visit to Toronto dungeons: Girls' Jail Shocks Grand Jury".[3] The grand jury's conclusions included finding medical care so bad that "we could find no one with anything good to say about it."[3] The jury also found that the rehabilitation process was so nonexistent that "the name of the institution should be changed to jail, since it is in no sense a reform institution."[3] Dungeon-like basement "bucket cells" used for solitary confinement were 1.2 metres by just over 2 metres, with no windows or lights.[3]
Although the grand jury's report was challenged at the time by the Ontario Minister of Reform Institutions, Allan Grossman,[4] Toronto Star reporter Lotta Dempsey wrote that the paper's files were "full of stories of escapes from Mercer, harsh treatment of expectant mothers, riots," and more. [5] In early 1969, the reformatory was closed, officially replaced by the Vanier Centre for Women in Brampton, and then demolished later that year.[6][7]
Today, the site where the old reformatory existed is now the Alan Lamport Stadium.[8][9] All that structurally remains from the original site is the superintendent's house at the corner of King Street and Fraser Avenue (pictured in the Infobox above).
Coordinates: 43°38′20″N 79°25′23″W / 43.63889°N 79.42306°W
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Ontario Archives
- ^ McCord Museum The Mercer Reformatory for Women
- ^ a b c d Dempsey, Lotta (1964-11-05). "Secret visit to Toronto dungeon: Girls' Jail Shocks Grand Jury". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto): pp. 1, 4.
- ^ "Grossman Orders Probe Of Women's Jail Setup". The Globe and Mail (Toronto): pp. 1, 2. 1964-11-06.
- ^ Demerson, Velma (2004). Incorrigible. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 978-0889204447.
- ^ Weiers, Margaret (1969-01-08). "Vanier Women's Centre is like a private school". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto): pp. 69, 74.
- ^ McNenly, Pat (1969-12-11). "Historic Mercer reformatory falls under wrecker's hammer". The Toronto Daily Star (Toronto): p. 44.
- ^ "Mercer site bought by city for park". The Toronto Star (Toronto): p. 29. 1972-06-08.
- ^ "Stadium Named for Allan Lamport". The Toronto Star (Toronto): p. A8. 1975-06-14.
