Tag Archive: wrongful conviction

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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Presumption of innocence is often a myth

March 16, 2020

830 words; 4 minutes to read We are told, and believe, that the presumption of innocence is a core concept in Canadian law.  Nobody is or should be presumed guilty until they plead guilty or are convicted in a court...

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Why conviction does not always imply guilt

December 19, 2019

930 words; 4 minutes to read Some people are found guilty of crimes they did not commit, and many more people plead guilty to specific charges that are inaccurate.  Yet once someone has pled guilty or been convicted, we seem...

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Most people can’t afford a proper legal defense

November 27, 2019

950 words; 4 minutes to read. A fundamental aspect of justice in Canada is that any accused person has the right to make a proper defense.  In practice, this right does not exist for most Canadians because they cannot afford...

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University editorial on criminal justice

November 17, 2019

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...

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Posts worth a second look

October 17, 2019

  600 words; 3 minutes to read. The introductory post for this blog was in early September of 2017, just over two years ago.  Since then we have posted well over 100 items on various aspects of criminal justice.  Many...

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The Hidden Epidemic of False Guilty Pleas

July 25, 2019

By Caroline Erentzen, York University and colleagues (more information at the end of the post) This post is just under 1000 words and can be read in 4-5 minutes. In the late 1980s, a series of DNA-based exonerations shook the...

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The limits of forensic evidence

June 17, 2019 |

This post is about 770 words and can be read in 3 minutes. Many of the popular crime dramas on television give prominence to forensic evidence. Corpses are identified and murderers caught through analysis of hair, clothing fibres, fingerprints, bite...

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