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courses.

Supervision and after-care of released

individuals were responsibilities of the B.C.

Borstal Association.

By 1950, with the opening of the fifth
probation office, the service had clearly
established a base in British Columbia. There
were eight probation officers and five offices:

Vancouver, Abbotsford, Victoria, Nanaimo and

PROVINEIAL

Miss B. Maybee, Prince George Women’s Gaol (1949)

Corrections Branch Archives

Vernon. The use of probation was becoming an
acceptable disposition in the courts of British
Columbia,

In the summer of 1948, Ed McGougan became
the fifth probation officer to join the
Corrections Branch. Prior to his work in
cotrections, he worked at the Children’s Aid
Society. In September, he set up the first
probation office in the Interior at Vernon. His
jurisdiction included Kamloops, Salmon Arm,
Osoyoos and Princeton.

For the first six months, McGougan recalled
feeling like a “missionary” selling probation,
Social workers welcomed probation, and he

reported that the police were particularly

co-operative.”

The Prince George Women’s Gaol was
established in the former army detention
barracks in August 1947 to alleviate the
pressures of overcrowding at Oakalla Women’s
Gaol. Initially, 26 female prisoners were
transferred to this gaol from Oakalla and
additional inmates were moved when capacity
was exceeded at Oakalla. Miss B. Maybee,
formerly a matron at Oakalla, was responsible
for this group.

Meanwhile, rules and regulations evolved within
the institutions. Employees of the gaols and
prisoners housed within them clearly had a
more structured and predictable environment.
At the same time, institutional rules and
regulations continued to reflect the philosophy
of punishment. It was the dominant
characteristic of corrections history during the
80-year period leading up to the mid-point of
the 20" century.

31 From interview with Ed McGougan, 1988.

Era of Punishment (1871-1949)

53