Kingston Penitentiary Tour

Kingston Penitentiary was one of Canada’s longest standing and most feared institutions, operating from 1835 until closure in 2013 due to aging infrastructure. “KP” was know for decades as a “dumping ground” for Canada’s most violent offenders including Paul Bernardo, Russell Williams, Clifford Olson, Grace Marks and Wayne Boden, the Canadian “Vampire Rapist” whom died there in 2006.

Kingston Pen’s conditions were particularly harsh in the early days, long before human rights and welfare were of any concern. For the first 99 years women and children as young as 8 years old were incarcerated, inmates were expected to “not exchange a word with one another under any pretense whatsoever” and cells measured a mere 27 inches wide.

KP experienced three major riots in 1932, 1954 and the most serious in 1971 which lasted four days and resulted in extensive damage and the deaths of two inmates.

Hauntings have also been well documented, most notably the case of George Hallwell who was a volatile convict known for attacking guards and other inmates. In 1897 Hallwell was involved in an altercation in which he stabbed a guard and was shot and killed in self defense. On his dying bed he swore his revenge, and is still known to roam the halls of his cell block to this day.

This tour is a very rare and intimate opportunity to step behind the bars and hear first hand documentation of the inner workings, stories and secrets of Canada’s most infamous prison.