Description
Book SynopsisIn this history of prison reform in mid-twentieth-century Canada, the voices of prisoners help to provide a nuanced understanding of prisoners as active agents of change.
Trade Review"Including prisoner stories in an historical context provided a more nuanced and complicated reframing of the post-Archambault Commission era." -- Beverly Cramp *
BC BookWorld *
"The pair [Clarkson and Munn] writes with a cohesive voice, and considering the polyvocal and collective biographical approach they take towards their writing, this is impressive." -- Katie-Marie McNeill, Queen’s University *
Labour/Le Travail *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface Introduction Serendipity: Finding Voices Writing a Social History of Prisons Study Parameters and Limitations Organization of this Book Section One: Disrupting the Old Order 1. Riots and Reform: Political Action and the Making of the Archambault Report The Protest Causes of the Riot Context of Resistance The Illusion of Reform Riots and Revelations: Deconstructing the Narrative 2. The Blueprint for the New Deal: The Archambault Commission Re-envisions Reform Royal Commission Mandate and Findings Prison Conditions Recommendations of the Archambault Report Classification, Segregation, and the Protection of Young Prisoners The Borstal Ascendency in Canadian Penitentiaries Consolidation of Governance Reception of the Report Post-War Pressure for Implementation The Gibson Report Sauvant’s Progress Gibson’s Plan Section Two: Disruptive Influences 3. “Men Who Beefed”: Writing the New Deal The Creation of the Penal Press in Canada The Penal Press Expands Taking Shape: The Technical Aspects of the Penal Press The Penal Press Finds Purpose “Prisoners are People” and the “New Deal” Materialize Strength in Numbers: The Penal Press Goes International “Keeping It Real” or “What to Write about in the Penal Press” The Difficulties of Being THE Voice of Prisoners 4. The New Deal: Same as the Old Deal? Classification and Segregation Using Classification to Achieve a Rehabilitated Subject Achieving Security and Efficiency through Classification and Segregation Reducing Idleness through Classification Staying Connected: Visitation and Correspondence in Prison Education and Vocational Training Work and Industry Mollycoddling and the Defense of the New Deal The New Deal… Same as the Old Deal? 5. Time Off: Clemency, Remission, and Parole Good Time The First-Year Problem The Earned/Lost Problem Acts of Grace Amnesty Remission Branch – Royal Prerogative of Mercy Remission Branch – Ticket-Of-Leave Parole Autonomy Board Composition Interim Progress: Automatic Review Disappointment: Prisoners Are People but We Don’t Need to Meet Them Disappointment: Denial of Parole Disappointment: Drug Addicts and Alcoholics Getting the Public On-Side Early Progress Reports Reason for Optimism? 6. New Deal/Old Deal Discontent and Censorship The Official Face of Reform The Contested View of Reform Situation Critical: The New Deal Riot Antecedents to the Riot: Daily Life and Overcrowding Censorship: Controlling the New Deal’s Narrative Conclusion Talk of Violence, Mismanagement, and Progressive Reform A Story of Uneven Progress Disrupting Methodology: On the Importance of Muti-vocality/History from Below Disrupting the Idea that Change Comes from the Top Disrupting the Idea that “We Blew It” Disrupting the “Con” Disrupting Singular Narratives Appendix A: Excerpts from Commissioner’s Annual Reports detailing Psychiatric Services 1947–1957 Appendix B: Article Refused for Publication in Pathfinder 1953 Bibliography Endnotes
