In the CBC podcast Kuper Island, Philip Joseph told Duncan McCue the story of a young boy who tried to escape from Kuper Island. Unfortunately, he drowned.  The body of the boy washed up on the beach.  The other students were all forced to go to the beach to see the body on the sand. It was felt this would be for their own good. One of the priests warned the survivors as they stared at the body, what would happen to them if they chose to try to escape.  The students stared at the body and saw a crab climb out of his mouth. It was a horrific memory that would last a life time. Philip tried to look away, but a priest hit him over the head with a 2 by 4 plank. He said they were kept there for 2 hours looking at the body. Joseph bit his lip until it was bleeding. He tried not to cry for, “if you cried, they really beat you up.”

Philip Joseph had to stare at a dead child a second time. The other one was Richard Thomas. He wanted to look away again, and again, was hit for failing to look. The priests told the young students looking at the body of Richard hanging in the gym, “If you feel sorry for yourself this is what is going to happen to you. Is that what you want?”So the young students tried not to feel sorry for themselves even when they were beaten or abused or when one of their family was beaten or abused. Joseph said, “every day reminds me of residential.”

Sounds a lot like Alcatraz doesn’t it? Our Canadian Alcatraz I guess.