William Head Institution Explained

Prison Name:William Head Institution
Status:Active
Classification:minimum-security
Capacity:200
Population:125
Populationdate:2023
Opened:1959
Former Name:William Head Prison
Managed By:Correctional Service of Canada
Street-Address:6000 William Head Road
City:Metchosin, British Columbia
Postcode:V9C 0B5
Country:Canada

William Head Institution is a Canadian minimum-security federal correctional institution for men located in Metchosin, British Columbia, about southwest of Victoria on the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island. The Institution opened in 1959 and can house 200 inmates. The institution is based on a residential design, composed of five neighborhoods of clustered duplexes; each neighborhood of four duplexes is designed to function as a community. William Head provides variety of Educations, Correctional Programs and Vocational Trainings.[1]

Facility characteristics

Federal Institution for male offenders.

Security level: Minimum Security.

Date opened: 1959.

Number of inmates: 125.

Average length of sentences:

- Less than 36 months: 17 per cent of inmates.

- 36 months and over: 28 per cent of inmates.

- Life sentence: 55 per cent of inmates.

Number of employees: 101.

Reported:March 2023

Operational information

Institution mailing address:

William Head Institution

6000 William Head Road, Victoria, BC, V9C 0B5

Telephone Number:

250-391-7000

Visiting Hours for Inmate Visitors:

Thursdays & Fridays: 19:00hrs – 22:00hrs

Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays: 09:00hrs – 11:45hrs & 12:45hrs – 17:00hrs

William Head Quarantine Station

William Head Quarantine Station
Coordinates:48.3399°N -123.5358°W
Built:1883 (closed in 1958)
Built For:Dominion of Canada
Owner:Department of Interior (Canada)

Before becoming a jail, the site was used as an immigration control quarantine station from 1883 to 1958 to handle arrivals on the west coast[2] and from 1917 to about 1918 as a training (drill) depot for the Chinese Labour Corps (CLC) during World War I. It is also final resting place for 21 members of the CLC, who died en route to or from the war in Europe.[3] William Head was named for explorer Sir William E. Parry and was built to replace Albert Head Quarantine Station. The quarantine station was closed in 1958 and converted to use as a prison.

See also

Other quarantine stations in Canada:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Institutional profiles. 11 February 2013.
  2. Web site: Quarantine Station | Metchosin Museum SocietyMetchosin Museum Society.
  3. Web site: The forgotten Canadian history of the Chinese Labour Corps CBC Radio.