Tag Archive: politics

Tough on crime is the wrong approach

February 28, 2024

Post #236 920 words; 4 minutes to read Summary: Tough on crime may make good politics but it’s bad policy.  One reason is that most people have committed a crime at some point in their lives, making it impossible to...

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Former ‘tough on crime’ advocate changes views radically

January 8, 2024

Post #233 900 words; 4 minutes to read   Summary: Ben Perrin, law professor and former advisor to the Harper government, makes a compelling argument for a dramatic change in our approach to criminal justice. ‘Indictment’, by Benjamin Perrin.  University...

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Do Victim Impact Statements contribute to justice?

March 11, 2023

Post #212 950 words; 4 minutes to read. Audio summary by volunteer Gilliam Sherman. Summary: Work by US scholar Susan Bandes raises important issues about the place of victim impact statements in criminal justice.   Victim impact statements (VIS) have become...

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Alec Karakatsanis tells the real story on crime

January 19, 2023

Post #208 800 words; 4 minutes to read. Summary: US commentator Alec Karakatsanis debunks much media and political propaganda about crime. Audio summary by volunteer Hannah Lee. The last few weeks have seen an onslaught of media stories and political...

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The costs of mandatory minimums

June 27, 2022

Post #194 700 words; 3 minutes to read   Audio summary by volunteer Averi Brailey   Since 1995, Canada has introduced a wide range of mandatory minimum sentences for various crimes, with a another big expansion under the Harper government. ...

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Election commitments and criminal justice

September 9, 2021

Post #176 980 words; 4 minutes to read This post is drawn from an article in the Sept 4 Toronto Star by Jacques Gallant. The focus is on the excessive numbers of Indigenous and Black people in Canada’s prisons, and...

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Criminal justice and the federal election

August 24, 2021

Post #175 830 words; 4 minutes to read Voice summary thanks to volunteer Averi Brailey. This post is a slightly edited reprint from one posted in the early days of the 2019 federal election.  The election is a time to...

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