Corrections In Canada

Corrections in Canada

Corrections in Canada have had some dramatic changes throughout the years. In this essay I will be discussing the differences between the past history and the present developments that have occurred in the past 100 years within corrections in Canada.

1867 was the year Canada became a country, the history of corrections goes beyond this date. Corrections during this time told a story of "you do the crime, you pay the consequences". Punishment was physical there was no place to send these people. Instead they were physically humiliated in public. Such things as being whipped, branded, paddled, standing in the open for long periods of time and sent to other countries were they would have to fend for themselves or worse they were hung.

June 1, 1935 the day Canada opened its first provincial penitentiary in Kingston Ontario. Following the opening of this penitentiary many others opened; St. John, Nova Scotia and Halifax. These later would become federal penitentiaries after the Confederation of Canada in 1867. The purpose of these institutions was to rehabilitate the offender so that one day they could re-enter society as law abiding citizens.

In the 1920's the Biggar-Nickle-Draper Committee, purposed that the inmates receive wages for their work. As well as improving the libraries and educational facilities. The Great Depression brought on a whole new influx of new offenders, which gave rise to organizations to help rehabilitate these offenders, such as; The John Howard Society, The Salvation Army and Elizabeth Fry Society. In 1934 the first Women's Prison opened in Kingston Ontario. This would be a long awaited need to separate the women from the men.

At the end of the 1930's the Penitentiary Act was drafted, which recommended that young males be in a separate penitentiary and that education to be a penitentiary officer was normal. In 1959 the National Parole Board was founded. This organization was designed to support and supervise parolees re-entering society.

During the 1960's and 1970's there were major changes happening within the correction system. Correction's was not just about the crime committed, but about the inmate and how they would do once released. There was a program designed for inmates to work outside the prison and return after work, as well there was an experimental living unit opened which prepared inmates for the outside world. Human Rights became a major influence during this time inmates became people not prisoners. Inmates were given connection with the outside world and physical violence against them was stopped as well as the death penalty