Prison for Women

Background

The Prison For Women ("P4W"; French: Prison des femmes), located in Kingston, Ontario, was a Correctional Service of Canada prison for women that functioned at a maximum security level from 1934 to 2000. Known for its controversial legacy and significance as Canada's only federal-level penitentiary for women until 2000, the institution housed some of Canada’s most serious female offenders until its decommissioning following years of criticism and scrutiny over inmate treatment. The prison, designed in Neoclassical style by Henry H. Horsey, later became a federal heritage site. Throughout its history, P4W faced ongoing controversies, including inmate abuse, racial discrimination, unethical experiments, and a notorious 1994 riot that led to the influential Arbour Report, eventually prompting significant reforms in the Canadian correctional system.

Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.

Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.

• Fenbrook Institution
  GravenhurstMediumFederal institution
• Spirit Lake Internment Camp
• Hampton Gaol
• Beaver Creek Institution
  GravenhurstMinimumFederal institution
• York County Gaol
• Nova Scotia Youth Facility
  WatervilleYouth institution

Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.

World Prisons. (2026). Prison for Women. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/prison-for-women

"Prison for Women." World Prisons. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/prison-for-women.

@misc{worldprisons-prison-for-women,
  author = {{World Prisons}},
  title = {Prison for Women},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/prison-for-women},
  urldate = {2026-10-20}
}