Headingley Correctional Institution (Gaol) was opened October 1930 at a cost of $402,837.60. John Crawford Downie was the governor
responsible for Vaughan Street,the Industrial Farm and the new Gaol.There were 48 staff and 270 inmates from the institutions.The inmate population consisted of males and females until 1931 when females were sent to Portage la Prairie.
Inmate labour was used to construct the barns and farm buildings under farm superintendent William Sutherland,blacksmith August Anderson,and carpenter H.V.Hosford.The guards (or turnkeys)were G.W.Boivin and A.Douglas. In 1931 inmate life included hard work and silence. Inmates were not allowed to speak to turnkeys or each other on the work site or in the dining hall.Prisoners were forced to remove their clothes before bed.They were required to bathe once a week in summer and once every two weeks in winter. Visitors,approved by the governor,came Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon and from 1:00-3:00 p.m.From March to October inmates were locked in their cells from 7:00 p.m.to 6:00 a.m.From October to March they were locked in their cells from 6:00 p.m.to 7:00 a.m.Letters could be written only by permission and could be censored.Inmates could read in the library once a week. Compulsory religious services were held each Sunday and recreation was allowed every Thursday afternoon.In 1947,a physical training instructor was hired and by 1953 exercise took place daily in the summer,excepting weekends and holidays.
The dining hall was used for meals and any other large gathering of inmates such as movies,plays and formal addresses.Starting in March 1939 movies were shown Thursday afternoons as the recreation activity during the fall and winter. Inmates were given boots,socks,pants,coats,shirts,straw hats,and underwear.Winter clothing was signed for when needed.They were also issued two blankets,two sheets,a pillow,pillowcase and a towel.
A 1938 article on changes under the new governor, Colonel Royal Burritt,reported that inmates could sunbathe while working outside and could get a cup of cocoa before bed.After lunch prisoners could also smoke in their bunks. There was also a 10:00 a.m.time set for inmates to bring complaints to the governor.Inmates were now allowed to talk, smoke,and play cards during their daily rest periods.1944 saw compulsory attendance for religious ceremonies stopped.
For disobeying prison rules an inmate could receive a hard bed (indefinitely),bread and water for not more than five days in a row,solitary confinement with bread and water not exceeding five days (including four visits daily by the gaoler), strapping of not more than ten slaps by the gaoler (in the presence of the gaol physician),chaining to the wall during the working hours (not longer than three days),or finally the ball
and chain.Strokes of lash,whip (cat-o-nine tails)or paddle were allowed as a court sentence under the Criminal Code of Canada.The Paddler,as well as the Hangman,wore a mask and would only be known to the Sheriff.
Capital punishment in the form of hangings was carried out at Headingley from 1932 to 1952.A total of 25 hangings took place,including the execution of two axe murderers in May 1934.
“Still intact within its red brick walls is one of the few permanent execution chambers ever built in Canada...enclosed scaffold and pit,flanked by two cells isolated from the rest of prison...the most efficient and humane...available in Canada.”
In 1932,a cemetery was located immediately west of the Gaol along the riverbank,and it contained the remains of 16 prisoners. Forty years later,however, riverbank erosion exposed a casket and skeletal remains.Further erosions were anticipated and the cemetery was moved on
November 12 and 13,1974 immediately northwest (approximately 1/4 mile)to the western edge of the Gaol property. Institutional services and outside gangs were the two kinds of work programs in Headingley.Institutional services include kitchen and laundry services and trades work.Trades included carpentry,painting,tailoring,shoe repair and later, barbering.This program was aimed at reducing the cost of operating the gaol.Both federally and provincially outside gangs have been involved in farm labour and road construction.Farming at the Headingley site continued until the demise of the farm in 1973.
The gaol started with 506 acres of land and in the 1930s another 200 acres was purchased in the Rosser area.In the spring of 1947,this Rosser land was sold to the Miller ’s from Grosse Isle and these funds were then used in the 1950 purchase of 325.88 acres of land next to the gaol.The land now totalled 958.48 acres.
By 1947,the farm had a herd of Holstein cattle for milk, cream and butter production along with 300-400 Yorkshire and Yorkshire-Lancombe breed hogs.In 1959,the farm grew barley,oats,sweet clover,hay,green feed and corn ensilage. Vegetable production included beans,cabbage,carrots,celery, cucumbers,lettuce,onions,parsnips,potatoes,radishes,Swiss chard,tomatoes,parsley,turnips,spinach peppers,peas,cauliflower,and beets.There were 40 beehives until 1950,when beekeeping was discontinued.
Numerous additions and improvements have been completed over the years.The second gaol governor,Colonel Burritt,suggested in his 1945 report the government use $300,000 to build an east custodial wing to handle an increased post-war inmate population.The government chose to act on another of Colonel Burritt ’s recommendations,and a Vocational Trades building was completed and fully operational by March 31,1952.The building housed the paint,carpentry,shoe repair and tailor shops as well as storage rooms.Other improvements over the years included the building of Annex A, opened April 15,1957 and Annex B opened on March 11,1959.The powerhouse was built in 1969,the
Lawson Gymnasium in 1972, and the East Dining Hall, storerooms,and trades shops in 1975.The sewage treatment plant was completed in 1975 and the water treatment plant in 1980.A new Vocational Trades building,located near Annex B, was completed in 1978. By 1972,a greater focus was placed on therapeutic inmate programming.The short stays of inmates along with their desire to earn more money at rehab camps killed the farm program -the livestock,buildings and equipment were quickly sold or disposed of.The 708 acres of farmland was either
leased out or sold.Paid cleaners were now hired,a job that was previously done by inmates.Programs like the Alcoholic Foundation of Manitoba now filled the inmate ’s days.
Unionization in 1967 increased staff as a result of concerns about workplace safety and security.The table below shows the differences in staffing,operating costs and salaries over the years. Originally staff had various weapons to aid in the security of the institution and transportation of inmates.These included revolvers,rifles,tear gas rifles and pistols,as well as restraint equipment such as shackles,handcuffs and batons.
The Oregon Boot or the ball and chain could also be used on a prisoner.Following the escape of Kenneth Leishman and 12 others in 1966,firearms were temporarily removed from the gaol and by 1967 the order was official.The early 1970s saw the removal of tear gas.Currently only trained staff is authorized to use restraint devises and batons.
Throughout the 1930s there were 4 minor inmate revolts, and one in each of the 1940s,1950s,1960s.Disturbances also occurred in 1971 and 1983.The most serious of all these riots broke out at 11:00 pm Thursday,25 April 1996 and continued for 24 hours.Eventually,321 prisoners surrendered after rampaging,setting fires and brutally attacking guards and inmates. All of the inmates were moved to Stony Mountain Penitentiary, Brandon Correctional Institute or the Winnipeg Remand Centre.Eight guards and 17 inmates were taken by ambulance
and treated at the Grace Hospital in Winnipeg. Although no one was killed,one prisoner lost fingers and another was nearly castrated.Prison policies that encouraged guards to act like social workers were blamed.Other suggested reasons included gang wars,staff cuts,and policy changes allowing high security inmates to come in contact with the general prison population.Police reports suggested that the riot appeared to target inmates who were either informants or segregated because of sex crimes.
Twenty Headingley volunteer First Responders attended to injured inmates,along with twenty Headingley Firefighters and members of Fire Departments from the Rural Municipalities of Portage la Prairie,Macdonald and Cartier.In total,60-70 volunteer Firefighters and First Responders were in attendance.The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) controlled the outside of the Gaol,and there were no escapes. The emergency response team and canine unit were also called in as a precautionary measure.
Much of the Headingley Correctional Institute was reduced to a burned-out shell and it took over a year to rebuild. Damage to the facility was estimated at $3.5 million,however renovations added up to over $10 million.
After the riot in 1996 and a $10 million renovation resulting from the damage,a further two additions were made at the front of the facility.The year 2000 saw the completion of a $17 million expansion;each of the two new wings contains 76 cells used for maximum security and domestic violence offenders.
