Broader lessons from the Zameer case
Post #240 900 words; 4 minutes to read Summary: The serious problems revealed in the Zameer case are not rare; they occur every day in Canada’s justice system but usually do not get noticed. The acquittal recently in Toronto of...
Read MoreMetamorphosis – The Yves Côté story
Post #206 1200 words; 5 minutes to read. Summary: Some highlights from Yves Côté’s book about his life, more than 30 years of which was spent in prison. Audio summary courtesy of volunteer Bella Kiss. Note: In reviewing this post,...
Read MoreCrime continues to decline in Canada
Post #190 950 words; 4 minutes to read One of the main regular sources of data on criminal justice in Canada is the annual ‘Police Reported Crime’ report. The most recent report was released in the summer of 2021, and...
Read MorePrison Experience. David Dorson – Meet the Lifers
Post #187 1200 words; 5 minutes to read This post is reprinted with permission from Lawyers’ Daily as one of a series on prisoner experience they are publishing. The original link is: Prison, a view from inside: Meet the lifers...
Read MoreRecent data shows areas for improvement in our prison and parole systems
Post # 180 960 words; 4 minutes to read Audio summary courtesy of volunteer Averi Brailey. Public Safety Canada annually produces The Corrections and Conditional Release Overview (CCRSO), one of the better regular sources of data about criminal justice in...
Read MoreRethinking violent crime
This post is 900 words and can be read in 5 minutes. “We must punish violence. Or so it seems until we discover that we are not always sure what counts as violence, and the criminal law doesn’t always punish...
Read MoreSawbonna: Victim Impact Statement 41 Years Later
This post is about 700 words and can be read in 3 minutes. Margot Van Sluytman is a well known Canadian advocate for restorative justice, based on her experience following the murder of her father. She recently posted this moving...
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 MoreCanada gives less parole despite excellent results
The National Parole Board is responsible for making decisions about parole for all Canadian federal prisoners (sentences of more than two years) and prisoners in many provinces. The Parole Board is made up of members appointed by the federal government;...
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...
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