It certainly wasn't a pleasant place to spend the weekend.
On Tuesday, June 29, members of the media got to see for themselves what it was like at the temporary G20 detention centre on Eastern Avenue where more than 1,000 people were detained at different times throughout the summit.
The walkabout also gave Toronto police - members of the Integrated Security Unit - an opportunity to share their side of the story and defend a series of allegations about poor conditions at the holding facility as well as the treatment of detainees.
Staff Supt. Jeff McGuire alongside Supt. Michael Farrar, unit commander for the prisoner processing centre, guided journalists through the cavernous space, the former home of the Toronto Film Studios.
Before the walkabout got underway, McGuire pointed to skids of water bottles for detainees adding those held were also provided with sandwiches and fruit as best as possible.
"We did give them food but a lot of people didn't eat it," McGuire said.
He also said prison clothing was issued to those who requested it but admittedly the sheer volume of detainees caused some items to run out.
Further, McGuire said telephone calls were granted to detainees in a reasonable time frame as lines freed up inside a room with 12 phone booths.
Farrar said detectives were on hand at the facility to receive complaints from detainees but only three or four people actually filed a formal complaint.
The proper tour of the G20 detention centre began in what was once known as Stage 8.
Inside this large space, up to 20 detainees were placed in cage-like cells as they awaited processing at one of 16 booking stations housed inside trailers similar to the ones used by workers at construction sites.
An estimated 50 to 60 prisoners could be processed per hour.
The plastic handcuffs used during arrests were usually removed at this point, McGuire said, unless the prisoner was being combative and could be perceived as a threat to others and themselves.
"It's the very same as a standard booking hall but it's here for two weeks then it's gone," McGuire said.
Once checked in, those arrested were subjected to a pat-down search.
Police strip searched anyone believed to have weapons that could cause injury to themselves or others or be used as a means to escape. The number of people who underwent this procedure was not available at the time.
McGuire, who said the entire facility was equipped with video cameras except washroom and strip search areas, assured female officers were on hand to search female detainees.
"Everyone is under video surveillance the entire time they're here," he said.
The prisoners would then be shuffled through metal detectors before being placed inside 10x10x20 foot cells (each equipped with a metal bench and a portable toilet with no door) in the main holding area.
The facility also had smaller segregation cells for problematic prisoners as well as an area for young offenders.
The makeshift jail also had a row of legal aid offices as well as interview rooms and trailers for fingerprinting and taking photos of those facing criminal charges.
Those released either walked out of the facility, were transported to a special G20 court on Finch Avenue West or were relocated to the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in Milton or another detention centre.
Faced with overwhelming numbers of arrested individuals to process, McGuire applauded the team at the detention centre for doing the best they could under such circumstances.
"We did the best we can and it's a learning process for us, too," he said during the tour, noting at any given time, the facility could accommodate 500 prisoners but had the space for up to 780 people.
McGuire said the last prisoner brought into the facility, which is currently unoccupied, was at midnight Monday, June 28.
Of those arrested, only 200 were actually charged with committing criminal offenses including arson, aggravated assault and mischief over $5,000.
"The purpose for most of the arrests was to reestablish basically peace on our streets," he said.