fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on
what the prisoner’s preference was, working
or doing it easy in the drums) were allowed
work at housekeeping, maintenance, farm
and gardening, Corporal and capital

punishment remained.2°

The policy of segregating offenders in adult
institutions was adopted on an experimental

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basis in 1934, Impetus for this direction came
from ].D. Hobden and the John Howard
Society. An experiment was initiated at Oakalla
with a group of first offenders (called the
Gazoonie Gang”), utilizing an honour system.
Later in 1934, the success of the Gazoonie
experiment was brought to the attention of
Attorney General Gordon Wismer. Eventually,
this led to the establishment of a training school
for young adult offenders.

In the summer of 1936, Attorney General
Gordon Sloan and Provincial Secretary George
Weir appointed an Advisory Committee on
Juvenile Delinquency. The committee
recommended a Borstal-type institution for
boys and young men aged 16-23 years. The
basis of the Borstal system, which was
patterned after English Borstal institutions, was
re-education of offenders.

This institution would house older and more
difficult youths who were sent to the Industrial
School, and young male first offenders sent to
Oakalla or the Dominion Penitentiary. It was
felt that these offenders would benefit from the
rigorous training of a Borstal-type institution.
J.D. Hobden, who was on the committee,
inspected the Borstal system in England and
put pressure on the attorney general to establish
such an institution in B.C.

A Borstal system was initiated in England
out of concern for the harsh treatment of
youthful prisoners. A Departmental
Committee on Prisons was appointed and
recommended that an experimental
program be adopted to segregate offenders
aged 16-21.

20 Source unknown.

21 The term Gazoonie Gang was coined by first offenders at Oakalla to identify themselves. These offenders were

kept separate from repeat offenders.

44

Corrections in British Columbia