Crime and Punishment in Canada is the first comprehensive history to describe and analyse the nature and development of crime and its treatment from the early French explorers to the present. The book looks at the broad range of crimes from the illegal sale of furs, to tavern rowdiness anddrunkenness, murder at pioneer work bees, bank robberies in prairie towns in the 1920s, and stock fraud and Mafia activities in modern times. It describes punishment practices that include torture in New France, the flogging of children in Kingston prison, incarceration in foul-smelling,vermin-infested jails, and contemporary penal practices that have emphasized therapy, parole, and early release from incarceration. Part One focuses on crimes and criminals, setting crime in the larger context of immigration, urbanization, and changing technology and social values. It traces the evolution of crime, including its growing incidence since the cultural revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Separate chapters aredevoted to women, juveniles, organized crime, and white-collar crime. Part Two examines the nature of punishment. Starting with the European legacy, the book describes and evaluates the variety of penalties and rehabilitation programs that have been devised and their impact on the control of crime. As in Part One, separate chapters cover the special problems ofdealing with women and juveniles. Throughout, much attention is given to the ideas of reformers, officials, and critics who have shaped our understanding of crime and how to deal with it.

D. Owen Carrigan's profile page

D. Owen Carrigan, Professor of History and past president, Saint Mary's University.