Experience Québec
The Old Prison of Trois-Rivières
Condemned to visit
The sun is warm, the grass is green between your toes and the birds are singing up a storm. You feel as free as the air. But leave all that behind for the moment. Today, you’re going inside—and we mean ‘inside.’ For the next hour, you’ll be behind bars at the Old Prison of Trois-Rivières! You have been sentenced to a tour of the prison. Do not pass ‘Go,’ do not collect $200: go directly to jail 
Your sentence is light compared to those of the tour guides at the Old Prison, former inmates of a Québec detention centre. The Old Prison itself closed its doors in 1986 after 164 years of operation. Today affiliated with the Musée québécois de culture populaire (Québec museum of popular culture), the institution has taken on an educational role to familiarize visitors with life behind bars—and hopefully act as a deterrent! Life on the inside
Losing your freedom, privacy and dignity: welcome to life behind bars. The prison that was intended to house 40 inmates when first built in 1822 held no less than 120 when it closed some 20 years ago. “If you can see the floor, there’s still room,” as the saying went. In fact, the prison was declared unsanitary in 1870, which is why it closed for good . . . 116 years later! 
Imagine: taking a shower was a privilege, not a right; while meals were frugal, to say the least. In the 19th century, a pound and a half of bread and some water were considered adequate sustenance. Prisoners relieved themselves in a metal pail in their cells that was emptied only once a day. At the time, cats roamed freely in the corridors to deal with the thriving vermin population. But have no fear: all of this is safely in the past, as today’s prison is spotlessly clean.
Holed up
Once behind bars, the prisoner who defied the ‘screws’ (prison slang for the much-reviled guards) would be sent to the ‘hole.’ Left to stew in total darkness for 30 days with no more than a dozen meals throughout the entire period, the unfortunate inmate would lose track of time and be driven mad by spatial disorientation. The experience generally had the desired effect, since nobody wished a repeat visit to hell—or another dose of temporary insanity! Hangman’s knot
When it first opened, the Old Prison of Trois-Rivières was under federal jurisdiction, meaning that capital punishment was enforced. The bell would toll when it was time for a hanging, drawing local residents to the event. Hangings—which were public—were intended to serve as a deterrent to would-be lawbreakers. The first prisoner to be hung at the Old Prison was convicted of stealing $40. The second had stolen a horse. You could say that he backed the wrong horse!
Your tour ends on a more merciful note. Safe and sound, you regain your former freedom: liberty that, from now on, you are liable to see differently. Savour your autonomy with a stroll through Trois-Rivières, or take the opportunity to visit the main building of the Musée québécois de culture populaire!
| Spend the night in jail |
 Want to extend your visit? Spend the night in an authentic jail cell. The experience is disturbingly real, with the guard shouting out your name in the early morning to wake you after a night where the grating of the bars and slamming of doors by the screws (wardens) will have gotten the better of your nerves . . . But it’s just for one night. For breakfast, you can look forward to gruel, coffee and a slice of toast—a meal fit for a prisoner. No five-star restaurants when you do time! Perfect for groups of friends or colleagues. www.enprison.com. Telephone: 819 372-0406 |
Sylvain Lacoursière
Photos: Sylvain Lacoursière, except the main pic (Musée québécois de culture populaire)
2008-11-03
