AcknowledgmentsPreface Introduction Serendipity: Finding VoicesWriting a Social History of PrisonsStudy Parameters and LimitationsOrganization of this Book Section One: Disrupting the Old Order 1. Riots and Reform: Political Action and the Making of the Archambault Report The ProtestCauses of the RiotContext of ResistanceThe Illusion of ReformRiots and Revelations: Deconstructing the Narrative 2. The Blueprint for the New Deal: The Archambault Commission Re-envisions Reform Royal Commission Mandate and FindingsPrison ConditionsRecommendations of the Archambault ReportClassification, Segregation, and the Protection of Young PrisonersThe Borstal Ascendency in Canadian PenitentiariesConsolidation of GovernanceReception of the ReportPost-War Pressure for ImplementationThe Gibson ReportSauvant’s ProgressGibson’s Plan Section Two: Disruptive Influences 3. “Men Who Beefed”: Writing the New Deal The Creation of the Penal Press in CanadaThe Penal Press ExpandsTaking Shape: The Technical Aspects of the Penal PressThe Penal Press Finds Purpose“Prisoners are People” and the “New Deal” MaterializeStrength in Numbers: The Penal Press Goes International“Keeping It Real” or “What to Write about in the Penal Press”The Difficulties of Being THE Voice of Prisoners 4. The New Deal: Same as the Old Deal? Classification and SegregationUsing Classification to Achieve a Rehabilitated SubjectAchieving Security and Efficiency through Classification and SegregationReducing Idleness through ClassificationStaying Connected: Visitation and Correspondence in PrisonEducation and Vocational TrainingWork and IndustryMollycoddling and the Defense of the New DealThe New Deal… Same as the Old Deal? 5. Time Off: Clemency, Remission, and Parole Good TimeThe First-Year ProblemThe Earned/Lost ProblemActs of GraceAmnestyRemission Branch – Royal Prerogative of MercyRemission Branch – Ticket-Of-LeaveParoleAutonomyBoard CompositionInterim Progress: Automatic ReviewDisappointment: Prisoners Are People but We Don’t Need to Meet ThemDisappointment: Denial of ParoleDisappointment: Drug Addicts and AlcoholicsGetting the Public On-SideEarly Progress ReportsReason for Optimism? 6. New Deal/Old Deal Discontent and Censorship The Official Face of ReformThe Contested View of ReformSituation Critical: The New Deal RiotAntecedents to the Riot: Daily Life and OvercrowdingCensorship: Controlling the New Deal’s Narrative Conclusion Talk of Violence, Mismanagement, and Progressive ReformA Story of Uneven ProgressDisrupting Methodology: On the Importance of Muti-vocality/History from BelowDisrupting the Idea that Change Comes from the TopDisrupting the Idea that “We Blew It”Disrupting the “Con”Disrupting Singular Narratives Appendix A: Excerpts from Commissioner’s Annual Reports detailing Psychiatric Services 1947–1957Appendix B: Article Refused for Publication in Pathfinder 1953 BibliographyEndnotes

"A fascinating new analysis of Canadian prison history, with a focus on the voice of federal prisoners. The newsmagazines of the incarcerated – the penal press – offer us a riveting window into how progressive reforms played out on the ground. This is a critical contribution to our ongoing debate over prison reform or prison abolition."