Tag Archive: sentencing

Do Victim Impact Statements contribute to justice?

March 11, 2023

Post #212 950 words; 4 minutes to read.   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 a fixture in the criminal...

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Gladue decision not having desired effects

August 13, 2022

Post #197 970 words; 4 minutes to read. Audio summary by volunteer Hannah Lee. The enormous over-representation of Indigenous people in Canada’s courts and prisons is well known. As one way of dealing with this problem, the Supreme Court of...

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CSC fails on diversity issues: Auditor General

July 26, 2022

Post #196 770 words; 3 minutes to read Audio summary by volunteer Averi Brailey It’s hard to find anyone outside the government that is a fan of the Correctional Service  of Canada (CSC), which operates federal prisons and parole.  Previous...

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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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Harsher sentences for 2nd degree murder don’t make sense

January 25, 2022

Post #185 900 words; 4 minutes to read Audio summary by volunteer Averi Brailey Since 1976, when capital punishment was abolished in Canada, everyone convicted of murder automatically gets a life sentence.  Most Canadians would be surprised to know that...

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Risks and benefits of risk assessment

October 9, 2021 |

Post #178 720 words; 3 minutes to read Audio summary by volunteer Averi Brailey. This post draws largely on the work of Dr Jennifer Kamorowski and colleagues. The criminal justice system is making increasing use of ‘risk assessment’ instruments and...

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The disappearing trial

May 21, 2020

960 words; 4 minutes to read The right to a fair trial is perhaps the most central aspect of criminal justice.  Yet, as shown in a recent report by Fair Trials, an international organization committed to human rights in criminal...

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