The desire to punish
Post #155 660 words; 3 minutes to read One of the biggest debates in criminal justice is about the role of punishment. But an important question is where does the desire to punish come from, a desire that seems to...
Read MoreWhat is ‘closure’ in criminal justice?
850 words; 4 minutes to read ‘Providing closure’ is one of the comments we often hear in media coverage of verdicts and sentences in criminal cases. The suggestion is that a harsh sentence provides victims of crime, or family members...
Read MoreUniversity editorial on criminal justice
800 words; 4 minutes to read The following is an edited version of an editorial that appeared in the November 15 issue of the University of Manitoba student newspaper, The Manitoban. We reproduce it here as an example of excellent...
Read More3% Doing Time for Murder Didn’t Do Crime: James Lockyer
Heidi Riedner At least 3 per cent of convicted murderers in prison are innocent, according to one of the country’s most prominent social justice activists. “That’s a lot of people in Canadian prisons for murders they didn’t commit,” lawyer James...
Read MoreUnder Lock and Key: The Don Jail
Lorna Poplak Since the mid-1800s, the Don Jail has left its stamp on the skyline, and the psyche, of Toronto. Over the years it developed a fearsome reputation as a dehumanizing snake pit where tuberculosis and other diseases caused by...
Read MoreBryan Stevenson: A Leading Civil Rights Voice
Reflecting on Bryan Stevenson: How a Criminal Lawyer Became the Leading Civil Rights Voice of Our Time by Lisa Kerr The field of criminal justice is often in need of moral leadership. While Bryan Stevenson is focused on the U.S....
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