Restraint, Mr. Harper
While cramming a treatise for my last 1L exam, I came across a quote from the Law Reform Commission of Canada. The report titled Our Criminal Law was released in 1976, but it is just…
tough on crime
Government Ignores “Tough on Crime” Statistics
A great article just came off the Canadian Press wire. The upshot is that the Canadian government is ignoring the results of social science studies about crime and punishment. Here are some quoteable quotes: Federal…
The Politicization of Justice Reform
This afternoon, Julian Falconer gave a talk at the Empire Club of Canada titled “The Politics of Punishment: Depoliticizing Justice Reform.” He focused primarily on the Harper government’s “tough on crime” agenda, and made some…
The Case of Derek Twyman: A Punishment of Unusual Cruelty
Derek Twyman (a Canadian citizen) has spent two decades in North Carolinian prisons, and is slated to be released on parole in the year 2055 – when he is approximately 90-years-old. His crimes? A series of non-violent burglaries. The law has since changed, but Derek remains incarcerated to this day.