Regional Reception Centre

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Regional Reception Centre

Location	Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec
Coordinates	45°45′02″N 73°51′35″W / 45.750467°N 73.859586°W / 45.750467; -73.859586
Status	Active
Security class	Multiple
Capacity	283
Population	?
Opened	1973[1]
Managed by	Corrections Canada
Director	Warden

Special Handling Unit

Location	Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec
Coordinates	45°45′02″N 73°51′35″W / 45.750467°N 73.859586°W / 45.750467; -73.859586
Status	Active
Security class	Super Maximum
Population	90 (as of 2008)
Opened	1984[2]
Managed by	Corrections Canada
Director	Warden

The Regional Reception Centre (French: Centre régional de réception^[3]) is a Canadian federal prison for men located with Archambault Institution at the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) complex at Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, a short distance from Mirabel International Airport.

The Special Handling Unit (SHU; French: Unité spéciale de détention or USD^[3]), within the centre, is Canada's highest security (supermax)^[4] prison. As of 2008, there were 90 prisoners at the SHU.^[5] In English it is nicknamed "the SHU" (pronounced 'shoe'), and in French it is the "USD".

The six-wing radial-shaped facility is surrounded by three rows of fencing, which is in turn surrounded by farms.

Inmates are always handcuffed in the presence of officers. When escorting inmates, officers are unarmed to prevent inadvertently placing a weapon in the vicinity of the prisoner. Escorting officers do carry pepper spray. Weapons and other equipment are carried by officers manning the elevated catwalk. Inmates must progress through programs in the SHU before being transferred back to the general population of other maximum security prisons; however, some inmates are considered to be too high-risk to be eligible for this and are detained in the SHU for longer periods.