Archambault report

Royal Commission to Investigate the Penal System of Canada
Also known as
  • Archambault Commission
Commissioners
Inquiry periodFebruary 27, 1936 (1936-02-27) – 1938 (1938)
AuthorizedOrder in Council P.C. 483
Final Report

The Archambault Report was an influential study of the penitentiary system in Canada, published in 1938. It is widely recognized as Canada's preeminent document on prison reform in that it changed the focus in Canadian prisons from retributive justice to rehabilitation.[1]

The report presented the findings of a four-year public inquiry by the Royal Commission to Investigate the Penal System of Canada, or the Archambault Commission, a royal commission chaired by Justice Joseph Archambault that ran from 1936 to 1938.[2] The commission had been formed in response to a series of riots and strikes in Canadian prisons in the 1930s.[3] Commissioners included Harry W. Anderson, Richard W. Craig, and James Chalmers McRuer.[2]

The report proposed sweeping changes for Canadian penitentiaries, emphasizing crime prevention and the rehabilitation of prisoners. Included among the 88 recommendations were a complete revision of penitentiary regulations to provide "strict but humane discipline and the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners." While the commission's recommendations were not immediately implemented due to the advent of World War II, much of the report's philosophy remains influential.[4]

  1. ^ Schugurensky, Daniel, ed. "Archambault Report proposes that prisons focus on rehabilitation, not punishment," History of Education: Selected Moments of the 20th Century. Department of Adult Education, Community Development and Counselling Psychology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
  2. ^ a b "Disclaimer - Electronic Collection".
  3. ^ Correctional Service of Canada. History of the Canadian Correctional System Archived March 31, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on: 2011-09-10.
  4. ^ Correctional Service of Canada. "Penitentiaries in Canada." Archived November 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2011-09-10.