Project Turnaround
by Mike Falkner
This complex originally began as Camp Hillsdale, an adult prison/work camp in the 1980's. It catered to low risk offenders and offered skills training in Agricultural work for an eventual re-integration into society.
It went the way of all other work camps and was defunded and closed in 1994.
It was re-opened in 1997 as a strict discipline facility for young offenders, based on the american 'Boot Camp' system. The facility catered to teen youth with high recidivism risk whose offences included assault, robbery, forcible confinement, escape, weapons charges and breaking and entering. On its opening day, two inmates escaped into nearby fields, resulting in ceremony cancellation and a short manhunt. The camp had earned the nickname "Camp Runamok". The inmates were subject to a strenuous daily routine including 16 hour
days including school lessons, life skills training, farm work and intense physical training. After a mold outbreak in 2003, the government made the decision to not renew the $2.5M/yr contract and the facility was permanently shuttered.
