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This document is archival in nature and is intended Le présent document a une valeur archivistique et for those who wish to consult archival documents fait partie des documents d’archives rendus made available from the collection of Public Safety disponibles par Sécurité publique Canada à ceux Canada. qui souhaitent consulter ces documents issus de sa collection. Some of these documents are available in only one official language. Translation, to be provided Certains de ces documents ne sont disponibles by Public Safety Canada, is available upon que dans une langue officielle. Sécurité publique request. Canada fournira une traduction sur demande. 6-7 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 34 A. 1907 REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE AS TO PENITENTIARIES 0 Er CANADA FOR THE YEAR ENDE D JUN E 80 1906 P.RINTED BY ORDER OF PARLIAMENT OTTAWA PRINTED BY S. E. DAWSON, PRINTER TO THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY 1907 ]No. 34-1907.] 6-7 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL I APER No. 34 A. 1907 To His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Albert Henry George, Earl Grey, Viscount Hawick, Baron Grey of Hawick, in the County of Northumberland, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and a Baronet; Knight Grand Cross of Our Most Distinguishid Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, &c., &c., Governor General of Canada. MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY : I have the honour to submit herewith, for the information of Your Excellency, the Annual Report. of the Inspectors of Penitentiaries for the Year ended June 30, 1906. I have the honour t,o be, Your Excellency's most obedient servant, A. B. AYLESWORTH, Minieter of Justice. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, OTTAWA, December 6, 1906 t A. 1907 6-7 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 34 CONTENTS Inspectors' Report 1— 10 Appendix A.—Dominion Parole Officer's Report 11— 17 " B.—Wardens' Reports 19— 31 " C.—Surgeons' Reports. 33— 48 " D.—Chaplains' Reports 49— 59 " E.—School Instructors' Reports 61— 68 " F.—Matrons' Reports. 69— 72 G.—Crime Statistics 73— 115 " H.—Labour Statistics. 117— 121 " I.—Cost per capita. 123 — 126 " J.—Revenue Statements 127— 131 " K.—Expenditure Statements. 133 — 172 " L.—List of Officers . 173 — 181 183— 194 " M.—Farm Reports. " N.—Regina Jail Reports . 195 — 208 " O.—Prince Albert Jail Report. 209 — 228 " P.—Yukon Penitentiaries Reports 229 — 240 • ■ 6-7 EDWARD VII. SESSIONAL PAPER No. 34 A. 1907 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INSPECTORS OF PENITENTIARIES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 1905-6 To the Honourable A. B. ÂYLESWORTH, K.C., Minister of Justice. Sm,—We have the honour to submit herewith reports and statistics in conftection with the penitentiaries of Canada for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1906. The reports and statistics in connection with Regina jail, Prince Albert jail and the Yukon penitentiaries will be found in appendices 'N," 0,' and P,' respectively. The tabulated statistics include only those referring to the penitentiaries under our supervision. • POPULATION. The average daily population of the penitentiaries for the past seven years has been as follows:— 1899-0 1,430 1900-1 1,405 1901-2 1,294 1902-3 1,224 1903-4 1,286 • - 1904-5 1,359 1905-6 1,407 It will be observed that although there is an increase as compared with the preceding year the population is still below the number in custody seven years ago. During the past year there has been an increase at every penitentiary except Dorchester. 34-1 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 6-7 EDWARD VII., A. 1907 MOVEMENT OF POPULATION. RECEIVED. DISCHARGED. 1905. o co 1, ly li A. > Ju Penitentiary. a o ils. 3 o dy a to Ja o s ci ô 6 cu ••0 ci o '8> 0 In From E'E■ E-1 Kingston 448 158 3 818 92 7 47 0 9 1 o o 460 St. 'Vincent de Paul 357 177 o 1 535 88 4 48 4 3 o o 410 Dorchester 233 95 o 2 330 54 10 49 a 2 o o 1 211 Manitoba, 190 111 o o 301 47 25 2 3 O*2 o 218 British Columbia 139 50 o o 189 25 9 12 o o 00 142 1,387 589 9 O 1,971 288 36! 179 9 17 11 2 2 1,439 * One since recaptured. The increase in the number received from jails is ten per cent as compared with the previous year. The escape from Manitoba penitentiary was due chiefly to, the structural insecurity of the cells in which the escaped convicts were incarcerated and the defects will be remedied before the cells are again occupied. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF PAROLES, PARDONS, DEATHS AND ESCAPES. Paroles. Pardons. Deaths. Escapes. 1899-0 71 70 22 1900-1 122 38 25 1 1901-2 157 43 14 1 1902-3 113 35 18 1903-4 122 31 23 • 1 1904-5 126 50 11 *3 1905-8 179 36 17 *2 * One recaptured. The continued success that has characterized the operation of the parole system fully justifies the increase in the number of paroles granted. The report of the officer in charge of that department of prison work will be found in 'Appendix A' and speaks for itself. The responsibility of supervising several hundred convicted men, sctittered from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is sufficient to tax the energies of any one man, and it is gratifying, therefore, to know that the work, formerly performed by Mr. Archibald, in connection with those dis- charged by expiry of sentence is being continued by Lt.-Col. Pugmire, of the Salvation Army, who has already proved himself a good Samaritan to many a friendless convict as he emerged from legal death to citizenship. With Mr. Archibald's supervision of those who have been granted parole and Lt.-Col. Pugmire ready to assist those who are otherwise discharged there is no reason why any man on leaving the prison should find it nec-e-ssary to resume a ctiminal career. REPORT OF INSPECTORS OF PENITENTIARIES 3 SESSIONAL PAPER No. 34 A secondary, but none the less important, result of the parole system is the pecuniary saving to the taxpayers. There are at present four hundred men, who would otherwise be burdensome dependents on the state, who are now self-supporting producers. ED1JCATION. Number who Number who Number who can read and can read cs.nnot read Total. write. only. or write. Kingston 371 80 460 St. Vincent de Paul. 264 49 97 410 Dorchester 172 28 13 211 Manitoba. 182 13 21 216 British Columbia 119 3 20 142 The number who have a reasonable common school education is very small, probably ten per cent. The number of absolutely illiterate equals sixteen per cent. Many of those who can now read and write were imable to do so when received at the prison. In addition to the regular school classes, carefully selected libraries, aggregating thirteen thousand volumes, are available to those whose conduct is such as to warrant the granting of the privilege. It is gratifying to note that the library privilege is highly appreciated and is found to be one of the most efficient aids to discipline. The books are selected by a 'library board' consisting of the warden and the chaplains, thus affording the best possible safeguard against the admission of improper literature. MORAL HABITS. Total abstainers . 197 Temperate 697 Intemperate. 545 1,439 The craving for tobacco, intoxicants and dope follows the convict within the prison and the sentimenthl pleadings and inducements that are presented to the officers is a daily menace to discipline. In every prison there are officers whose sympathy or cupidity induces them to forget their official responsibility and encourage evasion of the prohibitory regula- tions in this regard. From time to time officers suffer dismissal for their disloyalty in yielding to the inducements of the convicts, but is it satisfactory to realize that at each institution the staff, generally, enforce the regulations to the best of their ability. The wilful violators and the weak sympathizers are, fortunately, in a hopeless minority. The danger is noted, however, to emphasize the necessity of care in selecting appointees to the staff. A devil's advocate' on the staff of a prison will undo the work of ten loyal officers. AGE'. Those under twenty years of age constitute one-eighth of the prison population. At St. Vincent de Paul they comprise twenty per cent of the inmates. It is possible that the 4 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 6-7 EDWARD VIL, A. 1907 excess of youthful convicts at this institution is due, at least in part, to the fact that there is no provincial prison except the district jail to which offenders may be sent. In Ontario there is an admirably managed Central Prison to which this class of offenders are more generally sentenced. We cannot emphasize too strongly the opinion, based on personal observation, that association with experienced criminals incidental to penitentiary life is the most dangerous environment in which a lad can be placed.