Special Handling Unit
| Location | Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°45′01″N 73°51′42″W / 45.7503966°N 73.8617706°WCoordinates: 45°45′01″N 73°51′42″W / 45.7503966°N 73.8617706°W |
| Status | Active |
| Security class | Super Maximum |
| Capacity | 300 approx. |
| Population | 90 (as of 2008) |
| Opened | 1984[1] |
| Managed by | Corrections Canada |
| Director | Warden |
The Special Handling Unit is Canada's highest security (super-maximum)[2] prison. It is co-located with the Ste-Anne-des-Plaines Institution (maximum security) and the Regional Reception Centre, at the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) complex at Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec (a short distance from Mirabel International Airport). As of 2008, there were 90 prisoners at the SHU.[3] It is nicknamed "the SHU" (pronounced 'shoe').
The X shaped facility is surrounded by fencing which is in turn surrounded by farms.
Inmates are always handcuffed in the presence of officers. When escorting inmates, officers are unarmed to prevent inadvertently placing a weapon in the vicinity of the prisoner, however they do carry pepper spray. Inmates must progress through programs in the SHU before being transferred back to the general population of other maximum security prisons; however, some inmates are considered to be too high-risk to be eligible for this and are detained in the SHU for longer periods.
Notable inmates of the Special Handling Unit
Current inmates
- Maurice Boucher (murder, 2002-present)
- Allan Legere (murder,1991-present)
- Walter Stadnick (murder, 2004-present)
Former inmates
- Guy Paul Morin (murder, 1992-1995; exonerated and released)
- Clifford Olson (serial killer, 1982-2011; died of cancer September 30th, 2011)
- Ali Dirie (terrorism, 2009-2011; died in Syrian civil war, 2013)
- Karla Homolka (serial killer, 1993-2005; released after 12 year sentence)
See also
- ADX Florence, an equivalent prison run by the American Bureau of Prisons
- Supermax prison, for an international overview of supermax prisons
References
- ↑ "Correctional Service of Canada - Publications - Let's Talk". Csc-scc.gc.ca. 2012-12-18. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
- ↑ Amellal, D. The Special Handling Unit: High Security, Special Expertise, Safety and Security - Inside CSC Institutions. Let's Talk, Correctional Service of Canada. Retrieved on: 2011-09-04.
- ↑ "Institutional Profiles". Csc-scc.gc.ca. 2013-02-11. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
External links
- Corrections Canada profile
- Justice Behind the Walls (about SHU)
- The Future of Special Handling Units