Penal Press Collection
Between 1935 and 1960 Canada underwent a period of prison reform, shifting focus within the penal system from punishment to rehabilitation. Much of this change was driven by the 1938 Royal Commission Report on Penal Reform in Canada (The Archambault Report), which proposed extensive changes to the criminal justice system. The report proposed far-reaching changes to crime prevention; sentencing; and prison labour, education, and recreational conditions.
Image caption: Front covers of Pathfinder (Sept. 1964) and Tarpaper (March-April 1975)
As a result, in 1948 the first Canadian penal press publication was proposed. It was suggested as a means of improving inmate moral, while having the potential of being a tool to reach the entire inmate population. In 1950, the first Canadian penal publication was launched out of Kingston Penitentiary: Tele-scope.
Within a year, eight more publications had been founded in Canada. Although originally proposed as a means of entertainment and communication within penitentiaries, by this point subscriptions had been opened to the public and between institutions. What began as a recreational initiative, quickly exploded into a vehicle for activism, advocacy, and direct communication with the general population. Throughout the 1960s and the 1970s the Canadian penal press expanded to reach diverse and invested local, national, and international audiences.
Throughout the history of the penal press, it has provided the opportunity to:
- Provide an outlet for expression, and documentation of inmates’ lived experiences within the penal system
- Facilitate communication between the inmate population, administrators, and the general public
- Advocate for institutional reform, while putting a spotlight on issues and concerns of inmate welfare and rights
The Centre for Criminology Library holds a rare collection of Canada’s penal press, holding over 500 individual issues, published across 8 provinces, and 29 institutions. The library held subscriptions to many penal press publications beginning in 1963, resulting in complete runs of many rare titles. This extensive collection provides insight into the often-overlooked perspectives of the general inmate population.
For researchers, the penal press provides a valuable window into Canada’s criminal justice system. The majority of the penal press collection was written, run, printed, and published entirely within Canadian penitentiaries. Through their reporting, poetry, personal writings, and reflection, the penal press provides a voice for the incarcerated and a look into the life of Canada’s prison population during a time of historic reform and advocacy for change.
For more information on the library’s collection, please see the penal press finding aid (PDF).
For more information on some of the topics which our collection best highlights and details, use the links below, or the menu tabs to the left, to explore the themed sub-collections that the library has curated.
- Early Collections and the Evolution of the Penal Press
- Women’s Facilities
- Indigenous Activism
- Secure Psychiatric Facilities
- External Publications
- American Penal Press