New Toronto jail includes Aboriginal programs

The Toronto South Detention Centre, the largest correctional facility in Ontario, will accommodate up to 1,650 inmates, including those awaiting trial and those sentenced to provincial terms of under two years. An Aboriginal program room is among 50 rooms in the new state-of-the-art facility, which also includes classrooms, a multi-faith worship room that includes a foot bath for Muslim offenders to cleanse before their prayers, and a special unit for handling high-risk offenders, a mental-health assessment unit and medical beds. “We are committed to be an institution that focuses on program delivery and addressing the needs of inmates with mental-health issues,” centre’s director, Rose Buhagiar, told the CBC News. The new maximum-security institution will replace the closing Toronto West Detention Centre and the Toronto Jail, known as the Don Jail.