Series GR-3434 - Provincial prison reports

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Provincial prison reports

General material designation

  • textual record

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Title notes

  • Source of title proper: Title based on the contents of the series.

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Series

Reference code

GR-3434

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Edition statement of responsibility

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Statement of scale (cartographic)

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1905, 1911 (Creation)
    Creator
    British Columbia. Superintendent of Police

Physical description area

Physical description

30 cm of textual records

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Archival description area

Name of creator

(1858-1950)

Biographical history

Prior to the establishment of the Province of British Columbia, policing in the Colony of British Columbia was the responsibility of the Chief Inspector of Police (1858-1863) or Superintendent of Police (1863-1871) and in the Colony of Vancouver Island by the Commissioner of Police (1858-1866).

In 1871, when the Colony of British Columbia joined confederation as a province of the Dominion of Canada, the police came under the authority of the Attorney-General. The reporting structure required the Superintendent of Police to report to the Attorney-General. Supervision of Police Constables throughout the province was divided between the government agent of the district and the Superintendent located at the Police Headquarters in Victoria.

The legal authority of the Superintendent of Police was not formally enshrined until the 1888 Police and Prisons Regulation Act (c.53, s.1). The position may have also been referred to as the Commissioner of Provincial Police.

The Superintendent acted as the Provincial Game Warden from 1918 to 1929 and was also the Inspector of gaols.

The British Columbia Provincial Police Force ceased to exist in 1950, when provincial policing was taken over by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Custodial history

Found in the BC Archives painting storage ca. 2010.

Scope and content

The series consists of ten reports sent to Frederick Hussey in 1905 and 1911, in his capacity as Superintendent of Provincial Police and Inspector of Gaols. The wardens at each of the Provincial Gaols at Victoria, New Westminster, Nanaimo, Nelson and Kamloops returned an annual summary of the activity of the gaol with attached monthly reports and annual returns of the prisoners received. The reports include: lists of staff and salaries; financial expenditures, prisoner work statistics and number of prisoners in custody including the name, age, country of origin, profession, crime, sentence and conduct of each.

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Physical condition

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Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

  • These records are subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and Youth Criminal Justice Act and access may be restricted. Please contact the BC Archives to determine the access status of these records
  • Extremely fragile, handle with care.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

There is no finding aid.

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Accruals

No further accruals expected.

General note

Accession number(s): GR-3434

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