Of Cruelty, Canada and Caning

Once upon a time, the Canadian government had a real thing for turning two-to-twenty when it came to stepping out of line:


"One 10-year-old boy, committed on 4 May 1845 for a seven-year term, was publicly lashed 57 times in the space of eight and a half months. His offences were staring and laughing, which although in contravention of prison rules, were normal behaviour for a boy of that age. An eight-year-old child, admitted on 7 November 1845 for a three-year term, received the lash within the first week of his arrival. Over a nine-month period he was similarly punished 47 times. An 11-year-old French-Canadian boy received 12 lashes on Christmas Eve 1844 for speaking French."