Category archives: Uncategorized

THE POLITICS OF FEAR – crime is rampant and you should be afraid but we’ll fix it by being “tough on crime”. Now you’re safe. You’re welcome.

“Multiple political parties have concluded that “being tough on crime is a winning strategy that has public appeal and will gather them votes and so they are leaning into it,” Latimer said. “Rather than correcting misperceptions about the actual levels of crime, they’re feeding the misperception.” https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/falling-crime-numbers-raise-questions-about-ottawas-tough-on-crime-bills

OUR COURTS ARE THE LAST BASTION OF DEFENCE BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AND POLICE MISCONDUCT.

Recent headlines in the news in Toronto: 1. Charges stayed because a police officer decided to gratuitously kick a suspect in the face while on the ground, knocking out a tooth and breaking his jaw. 2. Police officers charged with criminal offences for running over individuals on ebikes with their cruiser. 3. The “public must …

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IS DECRIMINALIZATION OF DRINKING AND DRIVING OFFENCES A GOOD IDEA?

In Ontario driving while impaired or with 80 mg. or more of alcohol in 100 milliliters of your blood is a criminal offence. Upon arrest, your driver’s license will be suspended for 90 days and your vehicle will be impounded. Later, in court, if you are convicted or plead guilty, in the simplest case, the …

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IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE THE S.C.C. GAVE COURTS 18 MONTHS AND 30 MONTHS, RESPECTIVELY, TO CONCLUDE CRIMINAL CASES. THAT IS NOT “QUICK” TO AN ACCUSED OR A VICTIM. WHY CAN’T THE GOVERNMENT COMPLY WITH THIS CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT?

“10 years after Jordan ruling, Quebec prosecutors forced to make ‘heartbreaking’ choices” “On the wider spectrum, [the Jordan framework] is a positive decision. That being said, there’s a downside to it. The problem is that the resources did not follow,” he said. The ruling set time limits for criminal trials to ensure an accused person’s …

Continue reading “IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE THE S.C.C. GAVE COURTS 18 MONTHS AND 30 MONTHS, RESPECTIVELY, TO CONCLUDE CRIMINAL CASES. THAT IS NOT “QUICK” TO AN ACCUSED OR A VICTIM. WHY CAN’T THE GOVERNMENT COMPLY WITH THIS CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT?”

“Rick Steves: Torture museums open window into medieval criminal justice”

Okay, so our criminal justice system has evolved and transcended torture, right? But then I read: “What do these displays (and our fascination with them) say about humankind? Medieval or modern, human cruelty and torture haven’t gone away. Today, although 146 members of the United Nations have ratified an international convention against torture, it is …

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“Justice delayed – Nearly 60% of violent crime cases are stayed or withdrawn in Canada”

In order for this headline not to be misleading consider what “stayed or withdrawn” means. “To capture these cases, Statistics Canada groups together stays (where criminal proceedings are halted), withdrawals, dismissals, discharges at preliminary inquiry, and referrals to alternative or restorative justice programs. Following Statistics Canada, I refer to these outcomes collectively as “stayed or …

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THE YOUTH CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT – In view of the recent arrests of young people as guns for hire and a 12-year-old who ran down a police officer, it’s good to know what the maximum penalties for serious offences are under the Act.First degree murder – 10 yearsSecond degree murder – 7 yearsIt is possible that, if the youth is 14 years of age or older, the Crown can apply for a Judge to impose an adult sentence, in which case the YCJA maximums do not apply.

WAIT! WHAT? WE’RE GETTING MIXED MESSAGES.

Get tough on bail with the new, stricter federal bail laws? Deny bail in repeat and violent offenders? We already do that. Pressure the provinces to provide more funding and resources? Definitely needed. The article says that the legislation responds to “rising levels of violent crime”. Still, it later reports “In the latest available data, …

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