I found myself at the Young Offenders
Unit as a result of a somewhat circuitous
quest for employment in Corrections, It
commenced with an interview with Gordon
Stevens at the Vancouver Family Court and
Detention Centre where I was offered the
position of Relief Supervisor in the
detention home. It carried a princely salary
of $200 a month and one of the people you
relieved was the janitor.

I made the long trek to Oakalla Prison
Farm and was interviewed by then Warden
Hugh Christie who was known to me, and
indeed everyone in the Lower Mainland, as
the dynamic social worker who had busted
staff cliques and the inmate trustee system
at Oakalla. His actions had incurred a riot,
which he had successfully quelled and he
was now embarked on bringing a
“treatment” regime into what was then
Canada’s largest conglomerate prison.

In his considered opinion I was worthy of a
chance as a temporary guard, probably in
the Westgate Unit for young adult
offenders. Somehow, I was subsequently

contacted by B,J. (Barney) McCabe and

asked to report for an interview for possible
employment as a temporary supervisor at

the Young Offenders Unit.

I appeared before a panel chaired by Barney
McCabe and assisted by Warren Lane and
Merv Davis responsible for security and
casework respectively. I believe Al (Monty)
Montpelier was also present as head of the
socialization or group work program, I felt
during the interview that I was not doing
all that well and my fears were confirmed
when Barney McCabe indicated that there
were no vacancies at the present time but
should a vacancy arise, they might be in
touch with me.

At this juncture Warren Lane intervened
and asked if I would be good enough to
wait outside. What subsequently transpired
I never did discover but on re-entry I was
informed that I could commence
employment as a temporary relief
supervisor at $250 a month, in May of
1953. I could only assume that Warren
Lane’s intervention was successful—at least

for me!!7

Growth and diversification

By the late 1950s, the growth and
diversification of the corrections system was
evident through the opening of Haney
Correctional Institution, expansion of the
Probation Branch and development of a
significant work camp program. These
developments led to a change in Gordon

Stevens’s title of inspector of gaols to director
of correction (1957). It symbolized that the
focus was not just on custody but also included
treatment. Administrative pressures resulted in
the appointment of Selwyn Rocksborough-

Smith as deputy director of correction."®

17 Interview with John Braithwaite, October, 1989.

18 Rocksborough-Smith assumed this position in 1958 on a part-time basis until a replacement could be found for
him at New Haven. His duties as deputy director included the development of forestry camps and staff training.

Era of Rebabilitation (1950-1969)

83