 | |
| Location | London, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Capacity | 353 |
| Opened | 1977 |
| Managed by | Ministry of the Solicitor General |
The Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC) is a maximum security provincial jail located on the outskirts of London, Ontario.[1][2] Opened in 1977, the facility is operated by the province of Ontario, serving the region of Southwestern Ontario.
The prison, known regionally for its harsh conditions and numerous deaths in custody, is often described as "overcrowded, unsanitary and dangerous".[3] Although EMDC currently has capacity to house a maximum of 353 inmates, the facility routinely operates beyond this limit.[4][5] Approximately 70% of EMDC prisoners are awaiting trial and presumptively innocent.[6]
EMDC's 22,000 square foot Regional Intermittent Centre (RIC) was opened in 2016 to allow inmates serving intermittent sentences to be held separately from the general prison population.[7] Despite shuttering the RIC Centre in 2021, the Ford government later announced its intention to reopen the facility by 2026 in order to address overcrowding.[8]
- ^ Adult Facilities Archived 2010-05-15 at the Wayback Machine - Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
- ^ "Information London".
- ^ "Human Rights Commissioner slams EMDC as 'overcrowded, unsanitary and dangerous'". CBC News. May 21, 2019.
- ^ Donnini, Alessio (May 14, 2024). "Inquests to be held into deaths of 8 inmates at London, Ont., jail from 2017-2021'". CBC News.
- ^ Casey, Liam (March 7, 2024). "Ontario jails, including Windsor's, operated over capacity last year". The Canadian Press.
- ^ Richmond, Randy (October 4, 2021). "Ontario's little-noticed plan to privatize, expand GPS monitoring of inmates". The London Free Press.
- ^ "Elgin Middlesex Regional Intermittent Centre". Ontario.ca. September 13, 2016.
- ^ "London's intermittent detention centre reopening". cknxnewstoday.ca. 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-09-23.