The Don: The Story of Toronto's Infamous Jail (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781459745964)

An in-depth exploration of the Don Jail from its inception through jailbreaks and overcrowding to its eventual shuttering and rebirth.

Conceived as a "palace for prisoners," the Don Jail never lived up to its promise. Although based on progressive nineteenth-century penal reform and architectural principles, the institution quickly deteriorated into a place of infamy where both inmates and staff were in constant danger of violence and death. Its mid-twentieth-century replacement, the New Don, soon became equally tainted.

Along with investigating the origins and evolution of Toronto's infamous jail, The Don presents a kaleidoscope of memorable characters -- inmates, guards, governors, murderous gangs, meddlesome politicians, harried architects, and even a pair of star-crossed lovers whose doomed romance unfolded in the shadow of the gallows.

This is the story of the Don's tumultuous descent from palace to hellhole, its shuttering and lapse into decay, and its astonishing modern-day metamorphosis.

Speaker's Book Award 2021 -- Shortlisted Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book 2022 -- Shortlisted

Author: Lorna Poplak
ISBN-10: 1459745965
ISBN-13: 9781459745964
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Language: English
Published: 02/23/2021
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.80d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 12/14/2020