Springhill Institution
Encyclopedia
The Springhill Institution is a Canadian
federal corrections facility
located in the town of Springhill
, Nova Scotia
.
It was opened on 15 October 1967 on the southwestern edge of the former coal mining
town on the edge of the Cobequid Hills; occupying 167 hectares of land on a plateau overlooking the area, it is described as the largest "fenced" correctional facility in Canada.http://web.archive.org/web/20071224165304/http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/facilit/institutprofiles/springhill_e.shtml
Springhill was selected as the site for the medium security prison for Atlantic Canada during the early 1960s, partly as an economic diversification strategy following the closure of the town's largest employer, a coal mine that was permanently shut in 1958 following the Springhill Mining Disaster
.
Until the opening of the maximum security Atlantic Institution
in 1987, Springhill provided all medium security correctional services for the region; after 1987, part of the Dorchester Penitentiary
was downgraded to handle medium security prisoners as well.
The Springhill Institution is also the location of the Regional Reception Centre (RRC) which handles the intake of all offenders directly from the court system.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
federal corrections facility
Correctional Service of Canada
The Correctional Service of Canada , or CSC, is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders sentenced to two years or more...
located in the town of Springhill
Springhill, Nova Scotia
-Coal mining:The first industrial coal mining in the area took place in the 1870s after a rail connection was built by the Springhill and Parrsboro Coal and Railway Company to the newly completed Intercolonial Railway at neighbouring Springhill Junction....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
It was opened on 15 October 1967 on the southwestern edge of the former coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
town on the edge of the Cobequid Hills; occupying 167 hectares of land on a plateau overlooking the area, it is described as the largest "fenced" correctional facility in Canada.http://web.archive.org/web/20071224165304/http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/facilit/institutprofiles/springhill_e.shtml
Springhill was selected as the site for the medium security prison for Atlantic Canada during the early 1960s, partly as an economic diversification strategy following the closure of the town's largest employer, a coal mine that was permanently shut in 1958 following the Springhill Mining Disaster
Springhill mining disaster
The term Springhill mining disaster can refer to any of three separate Canadian mining disasters which occurred in 1891, 1956, and 1958 in different mines within the Springhill coalfield, near the town of Springhill in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia....
.
Until the opening of the maximum security Atlantic Institution
Atlantic Institution
The Atlantic Institution is a Canadian federal corrections facility located in the village of Renous, New Brunswick.It was opened in 1987 on the north bank of the Southwest Miramichi River; the property was formerly used as an ammunition depot by the Canadian Forces.Renous was selected as the site...
in 1987, Springhill provided all medium security correctional services for the region; after 1987, part of the Dorchester Penitentiary
Dorchester Penitentiary
The Dorchester Penitentiary is a Canadian federal corrections facility located in the village of Dorchester, New Brunswick....
was downgraded to handle medium security prisoners as well.
The Springhill Institution is also the location of the Regional Reception Centre (RRC) which handles the intake of all offenders directly from the court system.