| Location | Halifax Regional Municipality |
|---|---|
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Varies |
| Capacity | 272 |
| Population | 300+ (as of 12 January 2009[1]) |
| Opened | October 2001 |
| Managed by | Province of Nova Scotia |
The Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility is a large prison in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, located in Burnside Industrial Park, Dartmouth.
With a capacity of 272[2] (224 male, 48 female), the prison is the largest in the province.[3] It was built at the same time as the adjacent East Coast Forensic Hospital which is not open to the general public, serving only patients coming from the judicial system.[2] This arrangement is unique in Canada and allows the two institutions to share laundry, cooking, and recreational facilities as well as security staff.
Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility replaces three former prisons in Halifax, Colchester, and Kings counties, all of which closed in 2001. Originally construction had begun at Jack Lake, near the Bedford Rifle Range. Although surrounded by forest and far more isolated than the current site, affluent Bedford residents balked at the plan. In response, construction was halted and the province announced in October 1999 that the new site in Burnside had been chosen.[4]
It was designed by the Halifax architectural firms of John K. Dobbs and Associates and William Nycum and Associates Ltd. Construction took approximately two years and was carried out by Tidewater Construction Ltd.[4]