March 29, 2023 – Human Rights Report
Amnesty International (Canada)
Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The state of the world’s human rights
“2022 saw new, renewed and protracted conflicts that led to appalling tragedies. Some of them amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Across the world, authorities continued their heavy-handed repression of universal freedoms. Economic crises led to rocketing price rises for food and fuel and increased pressure on health and other social services. The most marginalized were hit the hardest, and inequality rose. Women, girls and LGBTI people faced gender-based violence and discrimination. The Amnesty International Report 2022/23 connects these issues at global and regional levels. It analyses the 2022 human rights situation in 156 countries and calls for action.” https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/5670/2023/en/ (Available in multiple languages; cf also climate and Indigenous people resources) Related article: The European Union Crime Prevention Newsletter (March 2023) on Work Related Crime and Enforcement Prevention https://action.spike.email/102400/Newsletter/zo3fkriv5xhgutz57ar7q52blmnayiduz46cwsh75wugrgbhun3twh6ynsze77gby26p3jnewoc6q?culture=nl-NL
Supreme Court of Canada
Notable Decisions by Date of Delivery (2022)
In all 54 decisions of the Court with 12 cited for significance. The cases are arranged by the date of the decision. The report also reviews the sentencing of the Quebec Mosque killer for the possibility of consecutive sentence vs concurrent sentence in the eligibility for parole. And the report offers an international perspective on the Court’s activity. https://scc-csc.ca/review-revue/2022/TopCourt-HautTribunal-eng.html#decisions
Tweet from National Registry of Exonerations (US) on Women Exonerations: “…Mulero said, “There’s other women out there that are incarcerated, that are innocent, that I will keep fighting for.” #WomensHistoryMonth Including the three death row exonerees, 284 women have been exonerated in the U.S. since 1989: https://t.co/ZtwLmyLxKo (4/4)
(https://twitter.com/exonerationlist/status/1639657368739803137?t=nKz3WHIq3uazxc5HfkJ4Nw&s=03) (Link offers a registry of 3292 women since 1989 includes name, crime, sentence)
Tweet from Scott Hechinger on Exonerations (US): “Of all the exonerations in the United States that involve false confessions (which we are already undercounting), a fourth (26%) of them come from a single county. Cook County (Chicago), IL. “This is unreal.” https://twitter.com/ScottHech/status/1639725258407313409?cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email
Tweet from Bianca Tylek on the impact of free prison phones: “I just heard that California prison visit rooms are full because folks inside have been able to rekindle relationships thanks to our legislation that made calls free. My heart is singing and I’m grateful for all our partners in this work.”
(https://twitter.com/BiancaTylek/status/1639743967624577024?t=XEw7inY0tcvREDAC4LpgPA&s=03)
Work with Offenders (UK) – Russell Webster Sentencers can take into account pressures on prison population https://www.workwithoffenders.co.uk/news/news_article/110747
The Guardian (UK) – Hannah Summers and Nic Murray
Pregnant women in English jails are seven times more likely to suffer stillbirth – Exclusive: campaigners demand new sentencing guidelines after data reveals a dramatic rise in the chance of a prisoner’s baby dying
Two years ago a survey said five times the rate of still births. Further, “Figures obtained through freedom of information requests sent to 11 NHS trusts serving women’s prisons in England also showed that for the years 2020-22, 25% of babies born to women in prison were admitted to a neonatal unit afterwards – almost double the national figure of 14%.” The other stats around the outcome for pregnancies ion the British prison system are also appalling. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/25/pregnant-women-in-english-jails-are-seven-times-more-likely-to-suffer-stillbirth
The Guardian (UK) – Vikram Dodd
Louise Casey’s report on the Met police: the fall of a British institution – Analysis: Metropolitan police again found to be institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic – and in need of radical reform
The reputation of the British police may have suffered irreparable harm in this report from Dame Louise Casey. What is equally significant is that the police leadership seems to acknowledge the allegations and promise to do better. Dame Casey adds that the Metro Police are a corrupt institution, reminding the public that the finding is not, in fact, for the first time. While police forces outside London have always claimed distance from the Met, Dame Casey says that influence is pervasive among these other forces as well. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/21/louise-caseys-report-on-the-met-police-the-fall-of-a-british-institution
The Marshall Project – Lakeidra Chavis and Geoff Hing
5 Things to Know about the Failed War on Gun Violence – Gun possession arrests are a major policing tactic in the fight against gun violence. Here’s how that plays out.
The article comes from a year watching the gun enforcement in Chicago and offers 5 conclusions about why it is a failing proposition: the focus is on illegal guns and impacts young Black men; the enforcement follows a traffic stop; arrest for gun possession did not effectively reduce gun violence; other cities have similar disparities in gun arrests; the problem of around for decades. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/03/23/gun-laws-violence-chicago-policing-what-to-know Related article: The Marshall Project – Lakeidra Chavis and Geoff Hing The War on Gun Violence Has Failed. And Black Men Are Paying the Price. In Chicago and elsewhere, gun possession arrests are rising as shootings go unsolved. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/03/23/gun-violence-possession-police-chicago
Tweet from Harsha Walia on Roxham Road Refugees: “Closing of Roxham Road to refugees is part of global xenophobic loop to make migration irregular & dangerous, and then weaponize ‘illegal migration’ to further secure & outsource borders eg. US-Canada Safe Third Country Agreement, UK-Rwanda agreement, US-Mexico Joint Declaration.”
(https://twitter.com/HarshaWalia/status/1639277501775073285?t=kkmD76cfBD2aUYTiJg0Z9A&s=03) (cf string)
Tweet from Eric Reinhart on Violence Interrupters: “And we have very successful preventive models already operating—albeit at small scale—with street outreach violence interrupters organized by Cure Violence, Institute for Nonviolence, etc. These programs aren’t utopian; they’re here on the ground waiting for funding to scale.”
(https://twitter.com/_Eric_Reinhart/status/1639490036126175237?t=YUxymDz0ov9Ebm_uwaqc4A&s=03)