Criminal Defence Law Blog
Nationally, 1 in 5 cases of sexual assault is dismissed as unfounded – how police describe what they deem as baseless accusations – with rates varying drastically depending on where you live
Source: Will police believe you? Find your region’s unfounded sex assault rate – The Globe and Mail
I know there are all sorts of commentaries out there about what’s going on but this is an interesting, thoughtful analysis I found of interest. For example “These executive orders are nothing more than cheap political theatre. They are certainly not based on evidence. What they do is successfully divide the public through fear and incitement.”
Donald Trump’s executive orders are nothing more than cheap political theatre – they are certainly not based on evidence
Source: We need more facts, less extreme vetting – The Globe and Mail
“An officer who conducts him or herself reasonably has nothing to fear from an audio, video or photographic record of his interaction with the public,” wrote the hearing officer, York police Supt. Graeme Turl, in his decision finding the pair guilty of misconduct.
Two York police officers were found guilty of misconduct for charging a 17-year-old who was filming them.
Source: York Region cops appeal guilty verdicts over video incident | Toronto Star
WEBCAMS IN THE COURTROOM? Should we have them? Why not? Would you like your trial and your testimony broadcast online?
“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” So declared Louis Brandeis over a century ago. Brandeis’ argument was that shining a light on activities both exposed wrongdoing as well as deterred it. The second part of his quote is that “electri
Source: Time for Webcams in the Courtroom? The Imperative of Transparency and Accountability – Slaw
I know it seems shocking at first but one has to wonder, what will happen here if we push our concept of zero tolerance too far?
A yearlong fight to enforce more legal protection for victims of domestic abuse took a step back this week in Moscow. The State Duma, Russia’s parliament, voted to roll back a law that made domestic abuse a criminal offence.
Source: Domestic violence penalties rolled back in Russia – World – CBC News
A short video that describes why treating addiction as a criminal rather than social welfare issue has failed.
Everything we thought we knew about addiction is wrong. This video is adapted from Johann Hari’s New York Times best-selling book ‘Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs.’ Most people believe that addiction only stems from the drugs themselves. This, however, is far from the truth. In the video, […]
Source: This Brilliant Animated Video Will Forever Change Your Views on Addiction · The Mind Unleashed
“Obama was a visionary. He has “passed the torch” that we as lawyers have a duty to keep lit.” “How we treat those who have made mistakes speaks to who we are as a society and is a statement about our values — about our dedication to fairness, equality and justice, about how to protect our families and communities from harm, heal after loss and trauma and lift back up those among us who have earned a chance at redemption.”
