Inside Toronto’s most notorious women’s prison

Toronto’s most infamous women’s prison was meant to rehabilitate women … but its real history tells a much darker story. Heather Marshall dives headfirst into the Mercer Reformatory in her latest novel, Liberty Street . The book follows Emily Radcliffe, a 1960s journalist who goes undercover to expose the prison’s harsh conditions and abuse of inmates. Over 30 years later, after the prison’s closing, a detective revisits one of the its sinister mysteries … and these intertwining narratives tell a story of female resilience and strength. This week, Heather tells Mattea Roach about the history of the prison, the real journalists that inspired the story and what it means to be an “incorrigible” woman. Liked this conversation? Keep listening: Who was the woman Kafka loved? Emma Donoghue boards a train destined for disaster Check us out on Instagram @cbcbooks and TikTok @cbcbooks

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Inside Toronto’s most notorious women’s prison is an episode from Writers and Company from CBC Radio by CBC.

This episode is 00:28:07 long.

This episode was published on Mar 18, 2026.

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