Karen Graham
Millbrook jail sits idly by. Photo: Melodie Seto
One Millbrook icon has finally bitten the dust, as piles of rubble is all that remains of the Maximum Security correctional centre on King Street that once provided employment to 300 staff. The property has been vacant for most of the 12 years since its decommissioning in 2003, when the 600 residents were transferred to the 1200 bed “super jail” in Lindsay. Since then it has provided temporary holding facilities for immigrants awaiting status hearings and a site for military exercises. At its peak, there were 10 buildings, a 23-foot-tall masonry wall and six watchtowers on the 106 acre site. Four houses on the site were demolished in 2011 in response to continued vandalism to reduce the province’s liability, acts which were documented by perpetrators who uploaded their videos to YouTube…
