March 1963

and with complete frankness dis- of it. I don’t even want the things cussed his problem. He said thought- when I’ve sobered up. When I am fully, “This means everything to me. sober I have no desire to steal any- For the first time I feel I may make thing. It’s the old story. I steal when it-and go straight once I get out.” I’m drunk to get more money to get He was an ex-airforce man in his more liquor.” Canada’s New Kind of Prison early forties, dark, good looking, unmarried. He had a high school educa- Officials of the Corrections Branch confirmed that liquor is indeed “the by Idabelle Melville tion. His history: “I have been in and old story.” Officials say that about out of jail since I was seventeen years two-thirds of the 245 men in Prince old-mainly in.” Albert provincial jail are there be- A new form of “correction”-an all-AA camp in the forest Why? “For theft-always for theft cause of misuse of alcohol. They -breaking and entering. Last time I have either used liquor to bolster broke into a jewelry store. 1 was their courage. to commit a crime or This too I know-and wise it were Correction Branch of the depart- drunk at the time, so drunk I scarcely they have committed offences which I f each cottld know the same- Thnt every prison that men build ment, drove a press party to the remember doing it. When I came to, they would be unlikely to commit Is bttilt with bricks o f shame, camp, reporters were given complete 1 had my pockets stuffed full of rings when sober. And bound with bars, lest Christ should see freedom to move about the camp and The Prince Albert jail also oper- How men their brothers maim. and *atches. This is the strange part talk to any of the men. SCAR WILDEwrote the “Ballad It was always difficult to realize 0 of Reading Gaol” about two- that this was a “prison” camp. There thirds of a century ago. He wrote was one unarmed corrections officer from personal experience and he for twelve prisoners. There were no portrayed the attitude of the times. bars, no locks, no fences. It appeared Prison in those days was designed an ordinary camp in the bush-neat more to break a man. Today the bunk houses, dining hall; men worktrend is to try and build a man- ing in the freedom of the woods and build him so he can live a better life the fresh air-cutting jack pine for when he leaves jail. the department of Natural Re- This summer this reporter saw sources. But this was no ordinary what Saskatchewan is doing to re- camp. The dozen men working at the habilitate prisoners. Saskatchewan camp were serving terms at Prince has three provincial jails-a men’s Albert jail. They were all alcoholics jail at Regina, men’s jail and a wo- -alcoholics who wanted t o be men’s jail at Prince Albert, and a cured. All men were members of Alcamp at Holbein. coholics Anonymous. When A. M. Nicholson, minister What is it like to be serving a of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation prison term and to be given this kind and J. R. Mather, director of the of trust? Jack, one of the prisoners, sat *Reprinted with permission from The Western Producer, 1961 down on a log beside this reporter