Aug 7, 2015
Newsminer.com (Alaska) –
Tribal courts conference in Fairbanks touts progress with state
The article reports on a three day conference in Fairbanks attempting to promote restorative justice through the use of tribal rather than state courts. The tribal court focuses on wellness, substance abuse rehab, domestic violence and cases involving children. In 2016, the state and the tribal courts will share jurisdiction over certain criminal matters, an area of much dispute to date. http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/tribal-courts-conference-in-fairbanks-touts-progress-with-state/article_d3d988ec-3caa-11e5-83bc-5b53f9e6cc0a.html
Ottawa Citizen – Douglas Quan
Harper government reversed RCMP’s ban on two rifle brands on eve of election
The RCMP had prohibited two particular types of rifles, though previously legal in Canada, they now judged as prohibited automatic weapons. Justice Minister Blaney’s announcement over-ruling the RCMP has apparently made the gun lobby very happy and critics say the reversal is meant to assure voter loyalty of a very small percentage of the conservative base. RCMP had no comment. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/national/Government+reversed+RCMP+rifle+brands+election/11271430/story.html
Huffington Post – Blogger Barry Dennison
Prison Reform Should Be on the Federal Election Agenda
Dennison begins with a list of disturbing media reports around events and policy matters for prisons in Canada. Dennison is an experience prison guard who thinks that there is a need for university disciplines like psychology, sociology and criminology to have greater access to the prison and to put their expertise at the service of research. He is calling for a place on the national election agenda for the justice and correctional system. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/barry-dennison/canada-prison-reform_b_7935624.html
Slate – Mark Obbie
“These People Need to Know What We Have Gone Through”
Victims of crime are discovering a way to cope with tragic loss of loved ones to crime: they visit in prison those convicted of the crime and lay out all the pain and hurt the criminal has brought on them and their remaining loved ones. John Sage, one of these victims whose sister was murdered, founded Bridges to Life, which attempts to awake in prisoners a sense of empathy for and accountability to their victims and has seen 25,000 go through the program in the last 17 years. The program is distinct in that it is run by volunteers who are victims and crime. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/07/bridges_to_life_is_the_best_way_to_reduce_recidivism_to_put_criminals_in.html Related article: Slate – Mark Obbie Last Man Standing: Nothing can stop the bipartisan coalition pressing for criminal justice reform. Nothing, except maybe Bill Otis. http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/07/bill_otis_meet_the_last_man_standing_who_thinks_criminal_justice_reform.html
CTV News – Kristy Kirkup, Canadian Press
Federal victim surcharge bound for Supreme Court, defence lawyers say
Yet another charter challenge is coming to conservative tough-on-crime legislation. The issue has been simmering for some times with judges finding ways to sidetrack the mandatory surcharge imposed on people who have nothing and cannot afford to pay a surcharge. The surcharge is supposed to support victims but is woefully inadequate in doing so. In one such case, BC Trial judge Donna Senniw has already determined the man’s rights, outlined under sections 7 and 12, were violated. Defence lawyer Denis Fai says the mandatory surcharge creates a two-tier justice system and that appeal to the Supreme Court is inevitable. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/federal-victim-surcharge-bound-for-supreme-court-defence-lawyers-say-1.2472971
Hope not jail… Lisa Teyrl
Hope Not Jail Community Forum, to be held at the Holiday Inn, Halifax Harbourview (Wyse Road in Dartmouth) on September 18th, 2015 from 9:00am-4:00pm.
The Hope not jail Project in Halifax, NS, is hosting a public forum to voice the research findings about the treatment of the mentally ill in the criminal justice system. The forum wants to follow with a series of strategies to allow the system to better cope with the mentally ill and invites your input. “Our criminal justice system has become a first line response for people in mental health crisis and our jails, prisons, and forensic hospitals have become ‘warehouses’ for people with mental health problems.” http://hopenotjail.org/wp/about-the-project/ Contacts: Valerie Hodge hopenotjail@dal.ca or Robin Campbell at 902-717-6859. Please pre-register here: http://bit.ly/1elCecH