Mouse on a String at the Prison for Women

An intimate look behind the walls of the well-known Kingston prison, recently closed. A former warden of the P4W shares anecdotes, history, and his recollections of an exciting and unpredictable career.

George Caron follows one inmate in particular-- Mouse --from her incarceration to her victorious release into the community. Far from simply a place of punishment and suffering, the P4W offered educational opportunities and other types of programs to inmates who had the interest and ability to benefit from them.

These rich, real-life stories and the saga of the inner prison reality are fascinating and profoundly intriguing. George has opened up the mystique of a female prison. Drugs, illicit weapons, illicit relationships, death threats, Doukhobors, and many other topics make this absorbing reading.

George Caron was born and raised in Vancouver's lower mainland. He is the oldest of seven children. He is proud of his Metis background. He graduated from Western Washington State University in 1967 with a degree in psychology, anthropology, and sociology. He received his Master of Social Work degree (MSW) in 1971 from the University of Calgary.

He worked in a variety of social welfare and children's services before commencing a career in adult corrections. He had a career of thirty-five years with the Correctional Service of Canada. He was first employed as a federal parole officer in Alberta. During the seventies and eighties, up to the end of 1987, he was assistant warden and then warden of the Prison for Women. After leaving the P4W, he was assigned as District Director of Parole for Eastern Ontario for approximately six months and was then appointed warden of a male prison. Before retiring in 2007, he was involve in national investigations with the CSC.

George's unique personal experiences in working with male and female parolees and inmates have broadened his horizons. It has helped him gain immeasureable insight into, and understanding of, the many complex issues facing troubled human beings.

George lives in Ontario with his wife and two children, two dogs, one chicken, and one goose.