In a practical sense it is true that the criminal justice system operates primarily “to avoid accountability, collective or individual” usually at the cost of the accused. If you’re charged with a criminal offence you need a lawyer to protect you from a system that acts to protect itself.
B.C. RULES FOR CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS
Although the article doesn’t explain what the rules are at least in B.C. they recognize the problem and are acting on it. We need to do the same in Ontario.
Editorial: Record check changes are positive – Editorials – Times Colonist.
“THE LAW IS AN ASS” because these days asses are making the laws.
“A government that believes in fact-based legislation doesn’t starve itself of the funds required to find those facts. Unless it’s not really interested in facts at all. There, in a nutshell, is Peter MacKay’s approach to drafting laws: Ideology first, evidence never. How can MacKay — with a straight face — assure the public that his legislation is constitutional when the government purposefully suppresses evidence to the contrary?”
http://www.ipolitics.ca/2015/01/18/please-dont-confuse-peter-mackay-with-facts/
A TYPICAL TRIAL DAY
A court trial day is typically from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (with a 30 minute recess) and 2:15 to 4:30 p.m. (with a 30 minute recess) which allows at most for 4 and 3/4 hours of trial time in a day. No trial day runs without court interruptions or delays for a multitude of reasons. A trial consists of arraignment, motions, Crown witnesses examination and cross-examination, defence witnesses examination and cross-examination, Crown argument, defence argument, reasons for judgment and perhaps submissions on sentence. As a result the simplest of trials take at least one day of court time.
Second drug conviction jails Sarnia man | Sarnia Observer
Regressive ideas –> regressive politics –> regressive laws. This university student was sentenced to the minimum mandatory sentence of 1 YEAR in jail for the non-violent offence of possessing 3 ounces of marijuana for the second time. While the rest of the world legalizes it, we send our university students to jail for it. We didn’t do that in my university days, but then, THIS is Harper’s Canada now.
People Can Be Convinced They Committed a Crime That Never Happened – Association for Psychological Science
GENERATING FALSE MEMORIES is not very difficult. What is difficult is responding to false memories that allege a past criminal offence as the maker of them is genuinely convinced they are real past events and that belief creates credibility. Since the false event is in the past there is usually no objective evidence capable of refuting it. That’s when you really need a lawyer experienced in this.
EQUALITY IN SEXTING?
Adults can forward sexts — sexualized messages or images of peers — they’ve received to others without facing criminal charges however if a youth does the same with their peers they’re committing the criminal offences of possessing and distributing child pornography – and will suffer the stigma of being pedophiles. Do you think this is equal treatment before the law?
Judge won’t hear teen’s challenge on whether her sexting constitutes child porn.
Ontario review of psychiatric wait times in jail kept secret | Toronto Star
This is about how we treat the severely mentally ill, the most vulnerable and helpless members of our society and whether we chose to imprison them and place them in solitary confinement to control them or provide them with the health care they need. The fact that the Province will not tell us the truth must mean they don’t want to be held accountable.
Ontario review of psychiatric wait times in jail kept secret | Toronto Star.
Judge raps Crown for ignoring video evidence, as man vindicated in assault case | Toronto Star
I previously posted about this case where Mr. Pal-Deng was held in custody for 7 months on a maximum 6 month charge for an assault for which there was video evidence that he didn’t commit but for which the Crown proceeded anyway. Here’s the video exonerating him.
Judge raps Crown for ignoring video evidence, as man vindicated in assault case | Toronto Star.
SHOPLIFTING & DEMAND LETTERS FROM RETAILERS
If you’ve been charged with shoplifting and have received a letter from a lawyer acting on behalf of the store demanding payment of approximately $500 together with a threat of being sued, scroll down in this article to the portion entitled “Demand Letters from Retailers” and read this lawyer’s opinion that “demand letters sent by lawyers on behalf of retailers seeking recovery of losses associated with shoplifting either may not rest on a legitimate cause of action, or may claim losses that courts do not recognize.”