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Murder on the Inside: The True Story of the Deadly Riot at Kingston Penitentiary
Shortlisted for the Speaker's Book Award Shortlisted for The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book
“You have taken our civil rights—we want our human rights.”
On April 14, 1971, a handful of prisoners attacked the guards at Kingston Penitentiary and seized control, making headlines around the world. For four intense days, the prisoners held the guards hostage while their leaders negotiated with a citizens’ committee of journalists and lawyers, drawing attention to the dehumanizing realities of their incarceration, including overcrowding, harsh punishment and extreme isolation. But when another group of convicts turned their pent-up rage towards some of the weakest prisoners, tensions inside the old stone walls erupted, with tragic consequences. As heavily armed soldiers prepared to regain control of the prison through a full military assault, the inmates were finally forced to surrender.
Murder on the Inside tells the harrowing story of a prison in crisis against the backdrop of a pivotal moment in the history of human rights. Occurring just months before the uprising at Attica Prison, the Kingston riot has remained largely undocumented, and few have known the details—yet the tense drama chronicled here is more relevant today than ever. A gripping account of the standoff and the efforts for justice and reform it inspired, Murder on the Inside is essential listening for our times.
“You have taken our civil rights—we want our human rights.”
On April 14, 1971, a handful of prisoners attacked the guards at Kingston Penitentiary and seized control, making headlines around the world. For four intense days, the prisoners held the guards hostage while their leaders negotiated with a citizens’ committee of journalists and lawyers, drawing attention to the dehumanizing realities of their incarceration, including overcrowding, harsh punishment and extreme isolation. But when another group of convicts turned their pent-up rage towards some of the weakest prisoners, tensions inside the old stone walls erupted, with tragic consequences. As heavily armed soldiers prepared to regain control of the prison through a full military assault, the inmates were finally forced to surrender.
Murder on the Inside tells the harrowing story of a prison in crisis against the backdrop of a pivotal moment in the history of human rights. Occurring just months before the uprising at Attica Prison, the Kingston riot has remained largely undocumented, and few have known the details—yet the tense drama chronicled here is more relevant today than ever. A gripping account of the standoff and the efforts for justice and reform it inspired, Murder on the Inside is essential listening for our times.
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Published February 27, 2023
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May 12, 2021
In MURDER ON THE INSIDE, author Catherine Fogarty looks at the deadly riot that took place at Kingston Penitentiary.
On April 14, 1971, inmate Billy Knight led what was to be a peaceful protest against the horrendous living conditions at Kingston Penitentiary. Fed up with the dehumanizing conditions inside the prison and the rumors of an even more oppressive prison being constructed nearby, inmates took a handful of guards hostage with the hope of finally being heard by those with the power to effect change. Bringing together a team of journalists and lawyers to assist with negotiations on behalf of the prisoners, the conflict stretched out for several days.
Plans went awry when a group of inmates targeted those who made up the prisoners of section 1-D; child molesters, sex offenders and informants otherwise known as “Undesirables”. Once released from their cells, they were dragged out into the open, tied to chairs and beaten and tortured for hours resulting in the death of two inmates.
In her introduction, Carrie had noted that while books and documentaries about Kingston Penitentiary exist, the deadly riot is mentioned in passing or in little detail. This opened up the door for someone to truly dig deep into what happened and shine a spotlight on those four days in April 1971. Through intensive research of court records, government documents, news reports and interviews with those who were there, Fogarty was able to paint as comprehensive a picture as possible of both the conditions inside the pen before the riot and the events that transpired after the beatings and bloodshed including a pair of trials with disastrous results.
Surprisingly, despite the outcome, things could have turned out worse had the Armed Forces invaded the jail before the prisoners surrendered. There was a real opportunity for change here, but the outcome suggested no one had learned a thing from the four-day long ordeal. Millhaven, the aforementioned new prison, ended up being even more tyrannical than Kingston, fostering an even deeper divide between the prisoners and the guards resulting in further riots and escape attempts.
The book closes with a look at the repeated attempts over the years to move forward with real prison reform as well as what became of the major players involved. One of the more shocking moments focused on the punishing use of solitary confinement and its devastating impact on prisoners. In 2017, the Liberal government imposed new restrictions on the length of time an inmate could stay locked up in solitary confinement, setting a cap of twenty-one days. Before that, there had been many lengthy documented cases with one in particular telling of an inmate who had served 1,636 days along with twenty-four hour lighting.
Murder on the Inside is both a jarring yet captivating look at the state of a federal penitentiary which for years had been a ticking time bomb. When it ultimately went off leaving bodies in its wake, it was quickly replaced with another as the time would tick down again and again.
On April 14, 1971, inmate Billy Knight led what was to be a peaceful protest against the horrendous living conditions at Kingston Penitentiary. Fed up with the dehumanizing conditions inside the prison and the rumors of an even more oppressive prison being constructed nearby, inmates took a handful of guards hostage with the hope of finally being heard by those with the power to effect change. Bringing together a team of journalists and lawyers to assist with negotiations on behalf of the prisoners, the conflict stretched out for several days.
Plans went awry when a group of inmates targeted those who made up the prisoners of section 1-D; child molesters, sex offenders and informants otherwise known as “Undesirables”. Once released from their cells, they were dragged out into the open, tied to chairs and beaten and tortured for hours resulting in the death of two inmates.
In her introduction, Carrie had noted that while books and documentaries about Kingston Penitentiary exist, the deadly riot is mentioned in passing or in little detail. This opened up the door for someone to truly dig deep into what happened and shine a spotlight on those four days in April 1971. Through intensive research of court records, government documents, news reports and interviews with those who were there, Fogarty was able to paint as comprehensive a picture as possible of both the conditions inside the pen before the riot and the events that transpired after the beatings and bloodshed including a pair of trials with disastrous results.
Surprisingly, despite the outcome, things could have turned out worse had the Armed Forces invaded the jail before the prisoners surrendered. There was a real opportunity for change here, but the outcome suggested no one had learned a thing from the four-day long ordeal. Millhaven, the aforementioned new prison, ended up being even more tyrannical than Kingston, fostering an even deeper divide between the prisoners and the guards resulting in further riots and escape attempts.
The book closes with a look at the repeated attempts over the years to move forward with real prison reform as well as what became of the major players involved. One of the more shocking moments focused on the punishing use of solitary confinement and its devastating impact on prisoners. In 2017, the Liberal government imposed new restrictions on the length of time an inmate could stay locked up in solitary confinement, setting a cap of twenty-one days. Before that, there had been many lengthy documented cases with one in particular telling of an inmate who had served 1,636 days along with twenty-four hour lighting.
Murder on the Inside is both a jarring yet captivating look at the state of a federal penitentiary which for years had been a ticking time bomb. When it ultimately went off leaving bodies in its wake, it was quickly replaced with another as the time would tick down again and again.
January 5, 2022
Having been raised in the Kingston area, I found this book very interesting. In addition to talking about the actual riot in 1971, there was a lot of history of the prison and the penitentiary system included. Non-fiction is not usually my preferred genre, but this kept me glued to the pages.
March 30, 2021
A must read book for every Canadian. Impeccably well researched, this is a damning condemnation of not only the conditions, and events, of the time, but that despite our politician’s protests to the contrary, our criminal justice system is still little more than a criminal punishment system.
This is not an easy read. In fact, this is a nightmare read… like a cross between Apocalypse Now and Lord of the Flies… there being obscene abuses of power on all sides. There were times, while reading, that I was brought to the verge of actually being physically sick. Given the absolute brutality of the conditions in which the prisoners were held, the only surprise is that situations like this riot didn’t happen more often.
The violence and brutality notwithstanding, what disturbs me most are; (1) the deceit on the part of the politicians in charge, which only served to inflame the situation; and, (2) the repeated failure of those in charge - at the highest levels - to listen... to those thoughtful people on the ground in the these institutions, to those working to reform the prison experience, but mostly to the recommendations of their own inquiries and commissions. And, as we’ve seen in later situations, like the G-20 in Toronto, the ‘authorities’ and those in charge - politicians - continue to fan the flames when faced with (similar types of) mass protest situations.
Yes, hindsight is 20/20… but so much of what happened here was (easily) avoidable. I might have known at the time, but if so has certainly forgotten, that Louise Arbour has resigned in disgust from her post as Commissioner of the Correctional Service prior to the release of her 1993 report on the Kingston Prison for Women. That a woman of her standing and commitment could see no other path than to resign speaks volumes.
Our prison system needs to reflect our social consensus - and I think largely we’re there - that reflects that everyone maintains their fundamental human rights regardless of whether or not they are incarcerated, and that the end goal of our justice system is not punishment for it’s own sake.
This is not an easy read. In fact, this is a nightmare read… like a cross between Apocalypse Now and Lord of the Flies… there being obscene abuses of power on all sides. There were times, while reading, that I was brought to the verge of actually being physically sick. Given the absolute brutality of the conditions in which the prisoners were held, the only surprise is that situations like this riot didn’t happen more often.
The violence and brutality notwithstanding, what disturbs me most are; (1) the deceit on the part of the politicians in charge, which only served to inflame the situation; and, (2) the repeated failure of those in charge - at the highest levels - to listen... to those thoughtful people on the ground in the these institutions, to those working to reform the prison experience, but mostly to the recommendations of their own inquiries and commissions. And, as we’ve seen in later situations, like the G-20 in Toronto, the ‘authorities’ and those in charge - politicians - continue to fan the flames when faced with (similar types of) mass protest situations.
Yes, hindsight is 20/20… but so much of what happened here was (easily) avoidable. I might have known at the time, but if so has certainly forgotten, that Louise Arbour has resigned in disgust from her post as Commissioner of the Correctional Service prior to the release of her 1993 report on the Kingston Prison for Women. That a woman of her standing and commitment could see no other path than to resign speaks volumes.
Our prison system needs to reflect our social consensus - and I think largely we’re there - that reflects that everyone maintains their fundamental human rights regardless of whether or not they are incarcerated, and that the end goal of our justice system is not punishment for it’s own sake.
October 3, 2021
This book was well- written and an excellent attempt to see both sides of the story. As the child of one of the guards mentioned in the book, I struggled to remember those sad days and their aftermath. I do feel that neglecting to mention the murder of CO Wentworth in 1961 was remiss. That horrid night contributed to many parts of this story. It should have been one of the best years of my father’s life, because I had been born in June. Instead, he remembered it as one of the worst.
I was little at the time of the riot, but I do know several guards suffered mental health issues after the fact. Many were friends of my dad and I have since processed conversations he had with my mom. Unfortunately, in the seventies, PTSD was seen as weakness rather than a medical condition.
I know what happened at Millhaven was wrong. There is no question about that. And I know some of the guards involved were bullies, both in and out of the prison, but not all of them. It was a small community back then. We pretty much all knew or were related to one another. Some of the motivation may have been “a pound of flesh’, but I believe a bigger motivation was fear. Bringing highly volatile prisoners to an unfinished building, with minimal staff after a violent siege must have been terrifying for the staff. Add to that, weak support from politicians and a reasonable presumption that the judicial system would pass the buck, along with the fact that neither the warden nor his deputy could be bothered to go out and supervise the transfer, was a recipe for disaster.
I also believe you were misled or chose to ignore the real manner in which Brian Ensor was murdered. It was common knowledge amongst the staff . These were not choir boys. However, I do respect their humanity and rights to be treated with decency.
I am an advocate for prison reform and accountability. I also know what it means for someone to walk through those doors to work everyday. They give up a part of their sense of self, their ability to parent and maintain contented marital relationships, as well as their own sense of safety and freedom.
I can only feel sad about the entire situation.
I was little at the time of the riot, but I do know several guards suffered mental health issues after the fact. Many were friends of my dad and I have since processed conversations he had with my mom. Unfortunately, in the seventies, PTSD was seen as weakness rather than a medical condition.
I know what happened at Millhaven was wrong. There is no question about that. And I know some of the guards involved were bullies, both in and out of the prison, but not all of them. It was a small community back then. We pretty much all knew or were related to one another. Some of the motivation may have been “a pound of flesh’, but I believe a bigger motivation was fear. Bringing highly volatile prisoners to an unfinished building, with minimal staff after a violent siege must have been terrifying for the staff. Add to that, weak support from politicians and a reasonable presumption that the judicial system would pass the buck, along with the fact that neither the warden nor his deputy could be bothered to go out and supervise the transfer, was a recipe for disaster.
I also believe you were misled or chose to ignore the real manner in which Brian Ensor was murdered. It was common knowledge amongst the staff . These were not choir boys. However, I do respect their humanity and rights to be treated with decency.
I am an advocate for prison reform and accountability. I also know what it means for someone to walk through those doors to work everyday. They give up a part of their sense of self, their ability to parent and maintain contented marital relationships, as well as their own sense of safety and freedom.
I can only feel sad about the entire situation.
January 12, 2022
It was a harder read than I had anticipated. A lot of information, a lot of important people mentioned that played part In the riot and a very descriptive story.
I had to stop myself from feeling sorry for the prisoners. You want to feel compassion for them but then you’re reminded that they are dangerous criminals that will kill if they have the chance. Good read nonetheless.
I had to stop myself from feeling sorry for the prisoners. You want to feel compassion for them but then you’re reminded that they are dangerous criminals that will kill if they have the chance. Good read nonetheless.
March 14, 2025
This one was an eye opener.
Not quite a year ago, I made the trek to Kingston and spent an informative couple of hours wandering the grounds and facilities of Kingston Penitentiary. The tour guides had a lot of stories on both the history of KP, as well as some generalized stories.
For me, all I'd known, before walking in, was that it was one of the first prisons in Canada, and that it had housed the human garbage known as Paul Bernardo for a time. So, I was stunned to find out about the riot that took place in '71. I would have been about 8 at the time, but I don't remember hearing anything about it.
On the way out, I picked up this book to learn more about it, and I finally got around to it. And...wow. How has there never been a movie made about this?
The ins and outs of this story, the twists and turns, it's truly an incredible story, and an important one on a few different levels. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you're a true crime buff of any measure, this is absolutely a book that should be in your collection.
Incredible story.
Not quite a year ago, I made the trek to Kingston and spent an informative couple of hours wandering the grounds and facilities of Kingston Penitentiary. The tour guides had a lot of stories on both the history of KP, as well as some generalized stories.
For me, all I'd known, before walking in, was that it was one of the first prisons in Canada, and that it had housed the human garbage known as Paul Bernardo for a time. So, I was stunned to find out about the riot that took place in '71. I would have been about 8 at the time, but I don't remember hearing anything about it.
On the way out, I picked up this book to learn more about it, and I finally got around to it. And...wow. How has there never been a movie made about this?
The ins and outs of this story, the twists and turns, it's truly an incredible story, and an important one on a few different levels. I don't want to spoil anything, but if you're a true crime buff of any measure, this is absolutely a book that should be in your collection.
Incredible story.
August 26, 2025
Bought this book at the end of my visit of Kingston Penitentiary in early July. I was transfixed by the story of the prison’s biggest riot as our guide was talking and walking us through it and had to learn more.
The book is an incredible retelling of this crazy 1971 event. All based on various accounts from witnesses, inmates, guards and crafted as a thrilling story. Loved learning more about Canada’s correctional system and its many faults, as well as how this event in particular has helped shape laws in a better direction, one that believes that prisoners must be treated as humans in order to potentially get out of this system.
The book is an incredible retelling of this crazy 1971 event. All based on various accounts from witnesses, inmates, guards and crafted as a thrilling story. Loved learning more about Canada’s correctional system and its many faults, as well as how this event in particular has helped shape laws in a better direction, one that believes that prisoners must be treated as humans in order to potentially get out of this system.
July 4, 2025
I read this book after going to the Kingston pen tour. we did the extended tour where they go into a lot more detail. one of the guards sat us in the dome and spoke to us about the 1971 riot but there just wasn't enough time for all the details. this book did an amazing job detailing the events that led up to the riot, the riot itself as well as post riot outcomes.
highly recommend!
highly recommend!
April 29, 2021
This gripping, historical true crime book is an important & compelling read. It released on April 14, 2021—the 50th Anniversary of the riot at Kingston Pen.
It’s a fascinating & disturbing story about poor prison conditions & a revolt led by Billy Knight, the prison barber.
When Kingston Pen first opened in 1835, inmates weren’t allowed to speak, nod, laugh or look at anyone! Punishment for breaking these & other rules included whipping & confinement in a vertical coffin called “the box.”
Overtime, the rules evolved somewhat, but conditions were still inhumane. And in April 1971, fed-up inmates feared an imminent transfer to the new super-max security prison Millhaven where it was rumoured they’d be monitored 24-7 by high tech cameras in their cells.
But what began as a peaceful protest, quickly escalated into a kidnapping of six guards, destruction of the prison, shocking torture of a group of sex offenders known as “undesirables” ... and murder. The aftermath included riveting trials for both prisoners & guards.
This story is such an important one, because the current Canadian prison system remains veiled in secrecy & in desperate need of reform. Solitary confinement is still happening. The issue of punishment vs. rehabilitation is age-old & ongoing.
Fogarty writes in a page turning style. I couldn’t put this book down and I can’t stop thinking about all the people who are behind bars at this very moment, including too many Indigenous & mentally ill.
September 24, 2022
Every Canadian needs to read this book about Kingston Penn and the riot that broke out in 1971.
It should also be a book for high school kids to read as it may open some of the younger offenders eyes as to what actually happens in a prison and all the behind closed doors "hush hush" from the government.
This is definitely a 5 🌟 plus plus
It should also be a book for high school kids to read as it may open some of the younger offenders eyes as to what actually happens in a prison and all the behind closed doors "hush hush" from the government.
This is definitely a 5 🌟 plus plus
February 5, 2021
Catherine Fogarty's moment-by-moment recreation of the bloody 1971 riot at the notorious Kingston Penitentiary is a compelling must-read. The depth of research is remarkable. The narrative crackles with tension and foreboding. Those caught up in the standoff – inmates, guards, prison officials and journalists alike – come alive. This searing portrait of the still-too-secret world of Canada's prisons truly is impossible to put down (my jacket blurb for Murder on the Inside)
August 13, 2022
Bought this at the souvenir shop after the tour of Kingston Pen (do the tour, it’s amazing).
It’s well-written, and a pretty scathing assessment of the politics and failures of Canada’s penal system both then and now.
It lacks richness - reads like a series of newspaper accounts, but the lack of real development of the players made it fairly confusing - there are only so many last names a reader can retain without some kind of character attachment.
Still worth a read though.
It’s well-written, and a pretty scathing assessment of the politics and failures of Canada’s penal system both then and now.
It lacks richness - reads like a series of newspaper accounts, but the lack of real development of the players made it fairly confusing - there are only so many last names a reader can retain without some kind of character attachment.
Still worth a read though.
April 1, 2022
Murder on the Inside is a fascinating, frustrating and heart-wrenching account of the events surrounding the Kingston Penitentiary riot of 1971. Fogarty's book educates and highlights how prison reform has been almost non-existent in what should have been a pivotal event in Canadian prison history. A compelling, at times gruesome, and necessary read for citizens today.
October 30, 2022
I hate to say it but just because you are a journalist does not mean you will be a great writer/novelist. The main focus of the book should have been the riot. I would say that only made up about 25-30% of this book. There was too much repetitive “newsy” stuff. Not as meaty as I thought it would be. Or how it was sold to me on the tour.
Don’t bother with this book.
Don’t bother with this book.
Read
August 12, 2022For those who enjoy books about the prison world, this book certainly ranks right up there with the best of them. And hopefully you will never view a prison from the inside, but from within the pages of this most insightful book.
Catherine Fogarty has impeccably researched the subject, offering the reader an up close and personal look at Canada’s oldest prison, Kingston Penitentiary. It was originally opened in 1835. Famed author Charles Dickens visited it in 1842 who noted that those in solitary confinement seemed to be almost buried alive. There was even a notation in the Globe and Mail newspaper in the 1930’s, that one man had been held in solitary confinement in the prison for twenty-three years.
It had undergone many changes during its lifetime and seemed to have often been noted for its brutal living conditions. The book is all about the notorious Kingston prison riot of 1971, an act that gained International attention for the manner in which it played out, along with the brutal aftermath.
What led to the takeover of the prison on April 14 1971, was a culmination of the living conditions that prisoners were faced with. Overcrowding was one of the main areas of protest, along with isolation of many prisoners, staff shortages, and the like. It was Billy Knight who lit the fuse for the powder keg to erupt and it did, but with an outcome few could have predicted. He led the charge, and when six prison guards were taken hostage, the plan was in motion to effect change.
Soon, it became a free-for-all in many ways, with survival of the fittest almost the order of the day. Soon, those who took control of the prison were targeting what they referred to as the “undesirables,” those who were child sex offenders, along with those who were snitches inside the prison. It became a fragmented series of attacks, and what was supposed to be orderly, erupted into chaos, with brutal attacks on several inmates. It resulted in two inmates dying, and fourteen others who were in serious condition.
The lives of the prison guards taken hostage were always in question, and some of the inmates braced for the army to storm the prison. One of the inmates Barrie MacKenzie, was noted as a sort of hero, making it his quest to make sure the guards were not harmed. He was successful.
In the aftermath, when the riot ended four days later, the prison looked like a cyclone had gone through it, destruction most evident of many areas.
Catherine Fogarty paints the grim picture through a most thorough look at the riot, taking us right inside the prison as the chaos escalated. We see the true picture of prison life, creating a most eye-opening work of literature.
November 19, 2024
I like reading true stories and Canadian stories so this book caught my eye. It's about the riot that happened at the Kingston Penitentiary in April 1971. I was young and don't remember it happening.
Kingston Penitentiary was a federal prison that opened in June 1835 and was the oldest prison in Canada before it closed in 2013 (now it's a museum). It was widely considered to be the harshest prison in Canada and in 1971 was overcrowded with 641 prisoners. Prisoners were not permitted to speak outside of their cells and solitary confinement was frequently used as a punishment for inmates.
When the federal government started construction of a new prison at Millhaven to replace Kingston Penitentiary, there were rumors that Millhaven would be more harsh than Kingston Penitentiary. Billy Knight planned an uprising to protest conditions at Kingston penitentiary and it happened on April 14, 1971. Six guards were taken hostage but protected by a few inmates. Knight presented their demands which included better living conditions. Some prisoners eventually lost patience and, figuring they had nothing to lose, tortured the "undesirables" (child molesters, rapists, child killers and police informers). Eventually the prisoners, led by Barrie MacKenzie, surrendered. Many had to accept the consequences and were beaten by guards and/or faced their day in court for their actions.
If you're looking for a detailed account of the 1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot, you should read this book. In addition to information, there is also 24 pages of photographs.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2024/11...
Kingston Penitentiary was a federal prison that opened in June 1835 and was the oldest prison in Canada before it closed in 2013 (now it's a museum). It was widely considered to be the harshest prison in Canada and in 1971 was overcrowded with 641 prisoners. Prisoners were not permitted to speak outside of their cells and solitary confinement was frequently used as a punishment for inmates.
When the federal government started construction of a new prison at Millhaven to replace Kingston Penitentiary, there were rumors that Millhaven would be more harsh than Kingston Penitentiary. Billy Knight planned an uprising to protest conditions at Kingston penitentiary and it happened on April 14, 1971. Six guards were taken hostage but protected by a few inmates. Knight presented their demands which included better living conditions. Some prisoners eventually lost patience and, figuring they had nothing to lose, tortured the "undesirables" (child molesters, rapists, child killers and police informers). Eventually the prisoners, led by Barrie MacKenzie, surrendered. Many had to accept the consequences and were beaten by guards and/or faced their day in court for their actions.
If you're looking for a detailed account of the 1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot, you should read this book. In addition to information, there is also 24 pages of photographs.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2024/11...
July 7, 2025
I did not expect this book can be so amazing. I visited Kingston pen and hear the guide introduced this book. So I decided to read it. It is far beyone my expectation. The author is a good story teller.
It gave a full picture of prision management in 1970s and later years till 1990s. The pen is short of staff, overlimited, mix of all kinds of prisioners, even seek for a cost down, which all increased the difficulities of prision managment. The prisioners complaned about high tention they had and decided to go to a riot. Thanks to the author, I saw a so called environment lacking of human rights, yet, in the riot, the prisioners still could meet independent commuity to post their request, still could negotiate with the prision managment team, and they still could sue the guards for their beating after the riot. These can be impossible in many other countries
from different side in the riot such as prisioners, prision managment team and decision makers, they have their own concerns and diffculities, including the decision makers who were commented as slow speed so that two lifes were killed. It was suprising that both parties can remain cool headed till the end of riot.
If you want to know more about Canada history and system, this can be a book you want to read.
It gave a full picture of prision management in 1970s and later years till 1990s. The pen is short of staff, overlimited, mix of all kinds of prisioners, even seek for a cost down, which all increased the difficulities of prision managment. The prisioners complaned about high tention they had and decided to go to a riot. Thanks to the author, I saw a so called environment lacking of human rights, yet, in the riot, the prisioners still could meet independent commuity to post their request, still could negotiate with the prision managment team, and they still could sue the guards for their beating after the riot. These can be impossible in many other countries
from different side in the riot such as prisioners, prision managment team and decision makers, they have their own concerns and diffculities, including the decision makers who were commented as slow speed so that two lifes were killed. It was suprising that both parties can remain cool headed till the end of riot.
If you want to know more about Canada history and system, this can be a book you want to read.
Read
May 16, 2021In April 1971-six months before Attica-there was a riot at Kingston Penitentiary in Ontario. The inmates held control of the institution for four days with six guards as hostages. Fogarty captures the sense of chaos well since neither the prisoners nor prison administration handled the situation well. One is inclined to side with the prisoners in this struggle since Canadian prisons were brutal at this time, federal penitentiaries were run like army prisons. But on the last night of the stand-off a rogue group of prisoners exacted horrifying revenge against D1s which was the classification of prisoners in for sex crimes. This part makes tough reading. Fogarty covers the long process of trials and reform that followed Kingston. Many attempts have been made to get incarceration right but an independent/outside control of prisons has never been accomplished. The so-called experts have been unwilling to let go of the reins of power. An effective job of research bringing alive a moment in history.
June 21, 2022
I discovered this book via a Winnipeg Free Press review. This piece of Canadian history was new to me. I learned about the state of our prisons, a history of prison reform, and generally what does (and doesn't) make for a prison culture that creates transformation and reform. The events leading up to the Kingston riot were so obviously a result of horrific conditions. The fact that some did see it coming and warned the government is reprehensible and so tragic. The prisoners, especially the ones who were murdered, were victims of profound neglect. I agree with Bryan Stevenson (lawyer and advocate for justice reform) who says “I believe that each person is more than the worst thing they've ever done." This book advocates for this truth.
The book sometimes got a bit top-heavy with details, and it was hard to keep all the characters straight. Still, if you can stick with it, it will open your eyes to the state of justice in our country, and make you thankful for those who work for its reform. This author's work is a crucial part of that reform.
The book sometimes got a bit top-heavy with details, and it was hard to keep all the characters straight. Still, if you can stick with it, it will open your eyes to the state of justice in our country, and make you thankful for those who work for its reform. This author's work is a crucial part of that reform.
June 13, 2021
wow this was a great book...its about the deadly riot in kingston pen april 14th 1971.. when a handful of prisoners lead by billy knight the prison barber kidnapped 6 guards and took over the place for better conditions as a lot of then were being transfered to millhaven... the original building was built in 1833 ti 1834 it was originally called privincial penitentary of the province of upper canada with 144 cells 3 other wings were added in 1850s the first prisoner arrived june 1 1835 and it closed in 2013 and was giving tours ..the conditions and the way they were treated when it first opened was shocking...you gotta read this book if you are into this history and only 3rd book written on the riot but the most detailed this catherine fogarty really went out to find this information...im so impressed
November 4, 2023
Catherine Fogarty, a true crime writer and podcaster, does a good job of presenting the facts and the personalities behind Canada’s most famous prison riot. I was hoping for a little more depth on larger currents in prison conditions in a historical context. There is a short discussion of liberalisation in the 1940s and 1950s, but not how former Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau, who campaigned on a just society, led a ‘war on crime’ clawback of prisoners’ rights. The men who led the riot were stupid and had poor impulse control and some were actively evil. But they were young, treated like animals, and given no hope. I ended the book wanting to know more about the wider context of prison reform.
January 26, 2024
Kingston Pen!
One of the favourite experiences I’ve had in the last number of years was my in-depth public tour of this famous penitentiary. You could feel the history in the walls as you walked through the hallways.
One of the most infamous events to happen at Kingston Pen was the 1971 riot, which is what this book is about. It wonderfully tells the story of the riot, the people involved, and what the government did (and didn’t do) to make changes. It included a ton of great information on the history of Canada’s prison systems, the history of Kingston Pen itself, and the characters involved in key events.
An excellent read that I couldn’t get enough of!
One of the favourite experiences I’ve had in the last number of years was my in-depth public tour of this famous penitentiary. You could feel the history in the walls as you walked through the hallways.
One of the most infamous events to happen at Kingston Pen was the 1971 riot, which is what this book is about. It wonderfully tells the story of the riot, the people involved, and what the government did (and didn’t do) to make changes. It included a ton of great information on the history of Canada’s prison systems, the history of Kingston Pen itself, and the characters involved in key events.
An excellent read that I couldn’t get enough of!
August 14, 2025
It was very interesting to read a book and understand the location, neighbourhoods, and areas in Ontario and Canada while reading a book. It was also interesting reading perspectives of the times and I liked how Fogarty wrote it from the perspective of the inmates, government, administration, guards and left it fact based. Of course we don't have the honest understanding in the minds of the administration but that's to be expected. I am impressed with how much research she did on this book. It was shocking the sentences that were given out in the end for such a horrific act and the government was able to accept that just to avoid the cost of a lengthy trial.
November 4, 2021
The writing was great and had a comfortable cadence. I struggled a bit with the decision to flex through chronology in each chapter. There were several times where I had to pull back to figure out that the narrative had changed chronology. I appreciate the intention to pull forward themes, but it could have been made a bit clearer for me. Additionally, I read this right after a 2.5 hr tour of KP and had the layout and actual spaces in my minds eye as I read. Some maps would likely support this book well, yet the included photos were great.
April 21, 2025
This book is my favourite that I have read all year and it was so well written! It had me hooked from the beginning. While it is about the 1971 riot at the Kingston Pen it also does a deep dive into what led up to it and the penal system which is all shades of gray. I really loved the updates at the end of what happened to a lot of the prisoners, guards and reporters after the riot was over until either present day or their death. This book is just over 300 pages and packed with so much Canadian history! I highly recommend everyone to read this book.
October 19, 2021
As a fan of Orange is the New Black, this book sounded like the plot of Season Five! A really interesting history lesson about an event in Canada’s past that is not well-known. It also touches on the state of today’s correctional services in Canada. This was a behind-the-scenes look at what prison life was like in 1971, the atrocities and abuse taking place behind bars that lead to the riot and kidnapping. As was said in the book, people are sent to prison as punishment, not for punishment. The author highlights how far corrections in Canada has come but how much farther there is to go.
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November 4, 2021
Super interesting, however I didn’t thoroughly enjoy how it was written. The author does a very good job at story telling, but at times it became very repetitive and a little redundant. I knew a little bit about this story, but after reading it I was shocked to find out about the events. I will note that I didn’t care for learning about all the government processes/ implications at the very end of the novel - it didn’t appeal to me.
May 16, 2022
This is an Evergreen Nominee for 2022 (Ontarion Library Association Forest of Reading Program). It kept me interested the whole way through - coincidentally, I had watched the documentary on the Attica Prison Riots in New York which were not too long after the Kingston riot. It does hammer home how our prison system does still not provide rehabilitation, which is disheartening as the effects are far-reaching.
August 3, 2022
The tragic and gruesome account of the 1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot, which was the result of inhumane conditions, ignorance and mismanagement that existed at the time and continued to persist for over 45 years after within the entire Canadian prison system. The book was well researched, historic and very detailed despite the fact it was written almost 50 years after the initial riot and the author claimed that information was hard to come by.
August 1, 2023
.. at times I wanted to speed it up .. it didnt last long though.
How our government should be so embarrassed about this. And to not acknowledge some of those on the inside who actually did good during the incident.. I just shake my head. It’s so disappointing that their pride and egos stand in the way of something so simple.
And doesn’t it, in some ironic way, say how more of a man one might be to just accept that, serve the remainder of his sentence, and go on with life …
How our government should be so embarrassed about this. And to not acknowledge some of those on the inside who actually did good during the incident.. I just shake my head. It’s so disappointing that their pride and egos stand in the way of something so simple.
And doesn’t it, in some ironic way, say how more of a man one might be to just accept that, serve the remainder of his sentence, and go on with life …
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