The History of John Howard
At the age of 40, curious to see the effects of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, John Howard set out for Spain regardless of the fact that England and France were engaged in the Seven Years War. The ship in which Howard took passage was captured by the French and he was imprisoned. It would be two months before an exchange of prisoners obtained his release.
Despite this experience, the more critical event for John Howard would seem to have been his appointment as High Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1773. It was a political sinecure without qualifications and it came as a surprise when Howard took the responsibilities of the appointment seriously and embarked on his inspection of prisons.
For the next seventeen years he was committed to the task, traveling thousands of miles by horse and carriage not only throughout Great Britain, but including seven trips to the continent, even to Moscow and Constantinople. It was in Crimea that he died in 1790 having contracted typhus in visiting Russian military hospitals.
What were the reforms John Howard advocated?
Clean, healthy accommodation with the provision of adequate clothing and linen; segregation of prisoners according to sex, age and nature of offence; proper health care: these were his priorities. There should be a Chaplain service because he was of his age in believing that spiritual starvation was a major obstacle to reformation of character. Finally, he was a firm believer in the work ethic and the need for prisoners to be provided with work in order that the sin of idleness could be combated.
Now the world's largest non governmental criminal justice organization, the John Howard Society has branches in England, Canada, the United States, New Zealand and Australia. There are currently 78 John Howard Society offices across Canada.
By Gordon Hay, Courtesy of www.johnhoward.ca
The Canadian History
The Canadian history of the John Howard Society began with a group of church workers in Toronto in 1867. Their mission was to bring spiritual help to prisoners in the local jail.
Currently there are branches and offices in over 60 communities across Canada. There are provincial offices in all 10 provinces and the Northwest Territories, a national office in Ottawa as well as 18 affiliates across Ontario.
Courtesy of www.johnhoward.ca
In Sault Ste. Marie
The John Howard Society has been doing crime prevention work in Sault Ste. Marie since 1962. Originally staffed by volunteers, the organization provided support to offenders and ex-offenders who were trying to make positive changes in their lives.
Click here for an up to date look at what we're doing now in Sault Ste. Marie.
