The difficult nature of this offender group is
noted in the following evaluation of the first
group of 14 youths who were selected to this

program:

It was hardly surprising to learn that prior

to the course, three youths had already been
sent toa boys’ training school while one
had undergone psychiatric treatment in a
mental hospital and another required the
care of a strict boarding school. The
average number of offences, separate or
together including breaches of probation,

was three per person. The number of
offences ranged from one—the problem
being unmanageability—to seven.

In nine instances, the first apprehension
leading to a court appearance happened the

previous year, The longest criminal career

Dr. Guy Richmond at New Haven (date: unknown)
Corrections Branch Archives

started five years earlier by one of the older
youths. As usual, most offences were
against property. Violation of liquor laws
was mentioned in six cases, while three Bay program was four months long, while

involved complaints of unmanageability. the Centre Creek program took six months
to complete. After successful completion of
This experimental (SALT) program was

the program, recommendation was made to

seen as successful and expanded in the late the B.C. Parole Board for release into the

1960s. For example, in 1967, a permanent

‘ community,
base for SALT was established at Porteau
Cove, near Britannia Beach in Howe Sound. The first SALT program for juveniles and
In 1969, Boulder Bay3! and Centre Creek forerunner of the Porteau Cove program
camps began experimental programs was run one summer by Jim Sabourin, a
utilizing the Outward Bound principles and former social worker turned probation
philosophy. officer. The summer that this program was

initiated was very wet and as a result the

These programs were suitable for young kids involved in the program were

adult offenders serving miserable. Consequently, the camp was

definite-indeterminate sentences who did moved to the Alouette River Unit

not need lengthy retraining. The Boulder Infirmary, which at that time was a satellite

31 In 1968, Boulder Bay Forestry Camp on Alouette Lake began operation as a provisional camp. It replaced Gold
Creek Camp, until a permanent camp was built on Pine Lake.

Era of Rebabilitation (1950-1969) 99