Do prosecutors have too much discretion?
This post is about 750 words and can be read in 3 minutes. More than 90% of criminal charges in Canada never go to trial. They are either dropped by the Crown or the accused pleads guilty to something. This...
Read MoreA Christian view on criminal justice
This post is 800 words and can be read in about 3 minutes. Churches have long been among the leaders in criminal justice reform efforts in Canada. Recently, criminal law professor Benjamin Perrin gave a talk in his personal capacity...
Read MoreCrime in Canada: An overview
This post is about 700 words and can be read in about 3 minutes. It’s not easy to find a careful and balanced overview of crime and punishment in Canada, but anyone wanting such an overview should consult Diane Crocker’s...
Read MoreGlobe and Mail coverage of prison reform
This post is about 1150 words and can be read in 5-6 minutes. On Nov 6, the Globe and Mail newspaper ran an editorial called “Fixing solitary isn’t enough. Canada’s prisons need to be reformed top to bottom”. The editorial...
Read MoreBenefits of Restorative Justice
This post is about 900 words and can be read in 4-5 minutes. Restorative justice (RJ) is one of those approaches often advocated yet not often used. Despite its seeming advantages and the efforts of some advocates such as Margot...
Read MoreStormy ways or sunny weather? Prisoners’ views of Canadian prisons
This post is about 1000 words and can be read in about 5 minutes. One of the best ways of understanding the state of an institution is to listen to the people who inhabit it. We learn about the reality...
Read MoreNew book on Indigenous issues in the Canadian justice system
This post is about 600 words and can be read in 3 minutes. Everyone involved in criminal justice is aware of the dramatic over-representation of Indigenous people in Canada’s criminal justice system and prisons. But despite all the attention,...
Read MorePositive developments in the US prison system
This post is about 600 words and can be read in 3 minutes. Prisons provide another example of a field in which Canadians can point to our neighbours to the south and feel superior, even when in reality we may...
Read MoreThis blog: One year and 50 posts later
This post is 600 words and can be read in 3 minutes. This blog ran its first post just about a year ago. At that time we stated the goal as being “to help build a well-informed public, which in...
Read MoreCan Canadian prisons be improved?
This post is 800 words and can be read in about 4 minutes. The new head of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has been given a huge mandate for change in that organization, which operates Canada’s federal prisons and...
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