Chapter 3

Era of Rehabilitation (1950-1969)

During the first half of the 20th century, there
was a dramatic shift in thinking that affected
corrections policies of North America.
Punishment and incarceration were no longer
favoured. Faith was now placed in informed,

professional and expert intervention.'

Optimists within corrections believed that
offenders—especially younger offenders—
could be rehabilitated through individual
treatment. This approach included training,
counselling and education, primarily within the
institutional environment. Once discharged and
rehabilitated, it was assumed that offenders
could be reintegrated back into the community
with supervision. This optimism produced a
number of alternatives in corrections, focusing
on training and education. Probation also grew
significantly during this period.

In Canada, the shift from a punitive to a
treatment approach in corrections was initiated
by the Royal Commission on the Penal System
of Canada. The Archambault Report, issued in
1938, was named after its chairman, Mr. Justice
J.R. Omer Archambault. The commission
espoused principles of treatment and
rehabilitation. However, few program initiatives

were made within federal corrections in
immediate response to this report.

The Second World War diverted public interest
away from prison reform. This, in turn, delayed
implementation of the Archambault
recommendations. Formally, a policy shift to a
treatment approach was not evident until the
1949 annual report of the Commissioner of
Penitentiaries.

This shift was strengthened in the report of a
commission of inquiry in 1956 chaired by Mr.
Justice Fauteaux. In this report, the
commissioners defined the goal of the system
as “correction.” This meant the “total process
by which society attempts to correct the
anti-social attitudes or behaviour of the
individual by means of the punishment,
treatment, teformation and rehabilitation of the
offender.”

The Fauteaux Commission was appointed to
investigate the principles and procedures of the
Remission Service, Department of Justice. It
agreed with the basic ideas of the Archambault
Report and stated that progress was made in
implementing its recommendations.

1 Stanley Cohen, Wsstons of Social Control: Crime, Punishment and Classification (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1985).

Era of Rebabilitation (1950-1969)

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