The Exercise Yards at the Don Jail
The area behind the Don Jail was once divided into three exercise yards for inmates. In this 1956 photograph, the exercise yards are behind the brick wall on the right.
Before penal reform in the 19th century, people believed that prisons were only for punishment. Many prisons placed inmates in overcrowded cells and rarely let them outdoors. Penal reformers maintained that incarceration was not just an instrument of punishment, but also a chance to prepare convicts for going back into society. They believed that inmates should lead balanced lives that included fresh air, work, and education.
Overlooking the Don River Valley and surrounded by fields and woodland, the location of the Don Jail was considered to be a healthy moral and physical environment for inmates. The property included a hospital, residences, and a farm. The farm grew oats, potatoes, carrots, and peas. The inmates raised chickens, turkeys, sheep, and pigs.
Researchers have found signs of an old well and cistern, which would have been used to supply the jail with water. A large skylight and rotunda brought sunlight into the centre of the building and reduced the need for artificial light. The original skylight was removed around 1960. The present skylight is a reconstruction based on the 1956 photograph displayed here.
Allowing inmates out of doors meant there was a risk of escape attempts. The so-called Polka Dot Gang once overpowered two guards and formed a human pyramid to try to mount the yard wall. More security soon arrived and defeated the attempt. A guard room was eventually installed to monitor inmates through slim, horizontal rifle windows. These windows are on the ground floor of the west tower (not shown in this photograph).
Although the Don Jail was progressive in some respects, part of its role was to carry out the death penalty. In 2007, archaeologists found that 15 people were executed and buried in the east exercise yard. After the archaeologists studied and documented the area, the human remains were re-interred in St. James Cemetery, Toronto. The area where the graves were is outlined in paving stone.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Toronto Plaques. Full page here.