Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women Commemorative Plaque
| File information | Options |
Original JPG File8400 × 6515 pixels (54.73 MP) 71.1 cm × 55.2 cm @ 300 PPI 9.7 MB |
Restricted |
Resource ID
10440
Access
Open
Address
1155 King St W., Toronto, ON M6K 1E9
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2023
Historical Themes
Health Care, Public Works, Women's History
Keywords
Women's History, medical history, prison, human rights
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
1835-1899, 1900-1953, 1954-1998
Caption
Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women Commemorative Plaque
Description
Canada's first female-onlv prison was here from 1880 to 1969. The women and girls who were held at the Andrew Mercer Reformatory had been in conflict with the law, many accused of immoral actions. A facility for vounger women - the Industrial Refuge for Girls - was attached to the main building. While the Mercer Reformatory operated, the law strictly controlled women's lives. Many poor, working class, or disabled women were put in prison for homelessness, drunkenness, unrulv behaviour, and petty crimes. Women could be held indefinitelv for up to two years, in many cases without a trial, based only on sworn testimony. Some were ailed merely for actions then considered immoral, like dating someone of a different race or becoming pregnant, consensually or not, outside of marriage. Prisoners' children, including babies born at Mercer, could be placed for adoption without consent. Prisoners were trained in duties expected of women and exploited for their labour. Man prisoners suffered dire conditions and painful mercurv and arsenic treatments for sexually transmitted infections, even if they tested negative. By the 1950s, Indigenous and other racialized women were overrepresented in the prison. Many women and babies died at Mercer. In 1964, a Grand Jury report revealed negligence, abuse, and rundown facilities. Prisoners were moved in 1969 and the site mostly cleared. The appalling treatment of prisoners had lasting effects on those held there, their families, and descendants. As of 2023, there has been no public inquiry into the Mercer Reformatory.