[4] Throughout its history, P4W faced ongoing controversies, including inmate abuse, racial discrimination, unethical experiments, and a notorious 1994 riot that led to the influential Arbour Report, eventually prompting significant reforms in the Canadian correctional system.

A 1920-1921 RCMP investigation highlighted the inadequate conditions of the penitentiary’s “female department” citing insufficient ventilation, plumbing, access to education and reading material, as well as inappropriate use of solitary confinement.

[11] In June 2018 Queens University sold the site to ABNA Investments Ltd.[12] In 2021 Signature Retirement Living announced plans to turn the property into a seniors community.

This period marked a controversial chapter in Canadian penal and medical history, reflecting broader institutional practices in North America regarding the use of inmates and psychiatric patients for scientific research.

[25] However, informed consent procedures were often inadequate or nonexistent, and subjects included vulnerable individuals, such as 17-year-old Dorothy Proctor, who experienced traumatic hallucinations and lasting psychological effects.

[25] Investigations by Correctional Services Canada in the late 1990s recommended official apologies and reparations for those affected, noting the potential long-term impact on participants' mental health.

[27] Correctional authorities responded by calling in an all-male Institutional Emergency Response Team from the neighbouring Kingston Penitentiary, who forcibly restrained the women and conducted illegal strip searches.

[20] These actions, later captured on videotape and aired on The Fifth Estate,[28] raised concerns of excessive and dehumanizing force, as male guards were seen cutting away female inmates' clothing during searches.

[20] Justice Arbour’s findings outlined a pattern of "cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment"[20] toward the women and criticized Corrections Canada for prioritizing control over prisoners’ rights.

[20] Arbour’s recommendations included reforms to prevent future rights abuses, such as the prohibition of male guards in performing strip searches on female inmates and improved mental health support.

Its publication prompted resignations within the federal prison administration and led to policy changes, including the formation of all-female emergency response teams and enhanced oversight to protect inmates' legal rights.

[3] Despite concerns over the actual implementation of the changes suggested in Arbour’s report (former director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies Kim Pate once described the Correctional Service of Canada’s efforts as “extremely selective and somewhat self-serving”[29]) it remains a landmark document advocating for the rule of law and accountability within Canadian prisons, influencing ongoing debates about human rights and prison reform in Canada.

[36][37] Aside from their annual Prisoners’ Justice Day Ceremony on August 10th,[38] the collective’s main focus is the construction of a memorial garden in front of the former cell block, in which they plan to feature a monument inscribed with the names of women who died while incarcerated in Canada.

[36][37] Currently in the fundraising stage, the collective envisions the memorial garden as a community gathering space for healing and remembering, as well as learning about prisoner experience and the Canadian correctional system.