July 17, 2022
Criminological Highlights – Anthony Doob and Rosemary Gartner, U of T
This June’s issue of the informative papers is burdened with news that the federal Department of Justice subsidy of approximately one quarter of the real costs of producing the Highlights has been cut from the project. The Highlights functions as an aggregator from 70 journals (787 papers in this edition) reduced to the eight below after discussion in three sessions by the Highlights team before being presented in the Highlights – an arduous process of both review and selection. Smart Justice Canada voices a well done to those involved with this precious and timely resource and we – and the other 1500 subscribers in 55 countries who, like SJNC, further distribute – look forward to a continuing subscription in spite of the loss of this funding.
- Why would many Black Americans prefer to be the victim of a serious crime than to be questioned by the police? 2. Should people on parole be able to associate with friends who have criminal records? 3. Why are increasing numbers of people in the US required to disclose their criminal records? 4. Was legislative change necessary in Canada to increase the time in prison for those convicted of second degree murder? 5. Can adult diversion programs accomplish the goal of reducing court caseload without increasing crime? 6. Does having contact with the police in Grade 8 affect the likelihood being arrested at age 20? 7. What kind of police training programs are effective in reducing tensions between police officers and the community? 8. How can the mere fact of having a friend or relative with a criminal record disadvantage someone? https://www.crimsl.utoronto.ca/sites/www.crimsl.utoronto.ca/files/CrimHighlightsV20N2.pdf Criminological Highlights Web site: https://www.crimsl.utoronto.ca/research-publications/criminological-highlights
BC Tyee – Myrna Dawson
The Ignored Epidemic of Hate Crimes against Women and Girls – Violence against women is often a hate crime. But it’s rarely prosecuted on that basis.
Dawson is a professor at the University of Guelph and the director of the Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Response to Violence. She notes that the hate crime laws in Canada include violence against women or violence predicated on sex or gender. But the violence is rarely prosecuted or even investigated as a hate crime. One obvious result is that hate crimes of sexual violence are vastly under reported: 3% in police generated stats vs a more like 22% in other studies. “One common argument for the invisibility of sex-motivated hate is that violence against women and girls is more often seen as motivated by a man’s desire for power and control, since women and girls are most often (58 per cent) victimized by male partners and family members… But the presence of power and control as a motivation for male violence does not preclude the accompanying motivation of hate. In fact, hate may be the primary motivation for efforts to exercise power and control over a woman.” https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2022/07/15/The-Ignored-Epidemic-Hate-Crimes-Against-Women-Girls/ Related article: Davos World Forum – Global Gender Gap Report 2022 “Gender parity is not recovering, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022. It will take another 132 years to close the global gender gap. As crises are compounding, women’s workforce outcomes are suffering and the risk of global gender parity backsliding further intensifies.” https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2022?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2780358_Agenda_weekly-15July2022&utm_term=&emailType=Agenda%20Weekly
The Crime Report – Alan Cunningham
Can Police Officers Refuse to Enforce Abortion Laws?
As the debate over Rose vs Wade in the US drives much of the discussion, this perspective of whether law enforcement – police and district attorneys – can refuse to prosecute offenders. Cunningham looks at the expectation that police must follow the law, and at the possibility that abortion has influenced the crime stats and the mental health of women. “The current laws conflict with law enforcement’s entire mission and goal; to protect and defend the citizenry and prevent crime.” https://thecrimereport.org/2022/07/14/can-police-officers-refuse-to-enforce-abortion-laws/ Related article: Toronto Star – Jacques Gallant ‘It’s simply genocide’: Forced sterilizations still happen today and survivors should be compensated, senators tell Ottawa – The 13 recommendations from the Senate standing committee on human rights also call for the federal government to collect better data on forced or coerced sterilization, and work to increase the number of Indigenous, Black and racialized people in the health-care field. https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2022/07/14/compensate-survivors-of-forced-sterilizations-senators-tell-canadian-government.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=thestar_politics Related article: Time Magazine – Stacey Rutland After Roe, Families Need Universal Basic Income More Than Ever https://time.com/6196636/universal-basic-income-overturning-roe/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_term=ideas_abortion&linkId=173051386
The Guardian (UK) – Leyland Cecco in Toronto
‘Asleep at the wheel’: Canada police’s spyware admission raises alarm – Experts warn that RCMP document detailing covert surveillance of Canadians’ mobile devices highlights lax government oversight
The issue of digital surveillance of ordinary citizens has been around for some time and dates to cell phone eavesdropping (stingrays) and faulty facial recognition software. Again the issue is the Pegasus software leased by Israeli firm NSO but the concern is the failure of the Government of Canada to exercise oversight of its presence and use. “During a parliamentary session in late June, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police submitted a document, first reported in Politico, outlining how a special investigative team covertly infiltrates the mobile devices of Canadians. The tools, which have been used on at least 10 investigations between 2018 and 2020, give the police access to text messages, email, photos, videos, audio files, calendar entries and financial records. The software can also remotely turn on the camera and microphone of a suspect’s phone or laptop.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/07/canada-police-spyware-admission-surveillance-experts
The Real News Network (US) – Chris Hedges
Chris Hedges on trauma and teaching writing in prison – In a special crossover episode, Chris Hedges joins Mansa Musa on Rattling the Bars to discuss his new book, “Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison.”
Hedges is well known for his results in teaching in prison since the production of a play generated and performed by incarcerated persons called Caged. This report – an interview with Mansa Musa of the radio program Rattling the Bars – is celebrating a new book called Our Class: Trauma and Transformation in an American Prison. The article is informative on the teaching process in prison and the interaction between Hedges and the incarcerated students. Here’s the context Hedges offers: “So these people, they’re removed from their communities. They’re removed from their children. They’re removed from their families. They’re powerless in many ways to try and help. I mean, they try to be fathers over the phone, but there’s a lot of anger that is expressed by the children, and then they stop coming. As you know, they always say after about five years, then the visits get scarcer and scarcer.” https://therealnews.com/chris-hedges-on-trauma-and-teaching-writing-in-prison Related article: The Sentencing Project (US, November 2021) Parents in Prison “This fact sheet provides key facts on parents in prison and policies that impede their ability to care for their children when released from prison.” https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Parents-in-Prison.pdf
Common Dreams (US) – Brent Wilkins
House Votes Down Amendments to Cut ‘Outrageous’ Military Budget – “The good news is: the American people are on to the racket and mobilizing to demand a reallocation of funding away from the Pentagon and to prioritize human needs.”
Previously, SJNC reported on the continuing presence of the influences of the military/ industrial complex thinking. Here’s a further element to show how entrenched this thinking is. Some progressive legislators just lost a bid to add riders to the $839 billion military budget with an additional gratuitous $3y billion added without designation. Eric Eikenberry, government relations director at the peace group Win Without War: “”The harsh reality is that these billions weren’t simply given away to the Pentagon—they were taken from communities for whom even a fraction of these funds could have made a fundamental difference,” he added. “Despite the outcome of today’s vote, it’s never too late for members of Congress to come to their senses and budget for our actual needs over weapons-makers’ wants.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/07/14/house-votes-down-amendments-cut-outrageous-military-budget?utm_source=daily_newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter_text