The Archambault Report was an influential study of the penitentiary

Prison

A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...

 system in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, published in 1938. The report, the full title of which was the Royal Commission Report on Penal Reform in Canada, was the product of four years of study by the Royal Commission

Royal Commission

In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...

, chaired by Mr. Justice Joseph Archambault. It is widely recognized as Canada’s pre-eminent document on prison reform in that it changed the focus in Canadian prisons from retributive justice

Retributive justice

Retributive justice is a theory of justice that considers that punishment, if proportionate, is a morally acceptable response to crime, with an eye to the satisfaction and psychological benefits it can bestow to the aggrieved party, its intimates and society....

 to rehabilitation

Rehabilitation (penology)

Rehabilitation means; To restore to useful life, as through therapy and education or To restore to good condition, operation, or capacity....

.

The report presented the findings of the Royal Commission to Investigate the Penal System of Canada (the Archambault Commission) which had been formed in response to a series of riots and strikes

Prison strike

A prison strike is a strike taking place inside a prison, involving either a hunger strike or a prison work strike. The California Code of Regulations states that "[p]articipation in a strike or work stoppage", "[r]efusal to perform work or participate in a program as ordered or assigned", and...

 in Canadian prisons in the 1930s. The report proposed sweeping changes for Canadian penitentiaries, emphasizing crime prevention

Crime prevention

Crime prevention is the attempt to reduce victimization and to deter crime and criminals. It is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice.-Studies:...

 and the rehabilitation of prisoners. Recommendations included a complete revision of penitentiary regulations to provide "strict but humane discipline and the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners." While the commission's recommendations were not immediately implemented due to the advent of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, much of the report's philosophy remains influential.