The Timeline: 2002

the end

The SDG jail was officially decommissioned on November 18 of 2002, at the time the jail still contained about 20 inmates who were then moved to the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Center. The jail was chosen for decommissioning along with 10 other institutions as a part of an infrastructure renewal program created by the ministry of public safety.[1] The severe over-crowding and poor living conditions inside the SDG jail led to the decision to close it as it posed several ethical and physical safety concerns to both the inmates and the workers. One stands out statement made by newspaper reporter Kelly Egan states that due to the overcrowding issues at the jail, “on weekends, impaired drivers bunk up with murderers and armed robbers” due to the lack of room for separation.[2] The area of SDG now no longer has a jail; meaning all inmates are sent to other city jails or prisons.

[1] Calgary Herald. Nov 19, 2002

[2] The Ottawa Citizen. Jan 03, 1997