Nov. 17, 2013
Canada.com – Stephen Maher
Judges, as Harper predicted, are acting as a check on his absolute power
If there is no effective chamber of second sober thought, we can be grateful for the judges who are have begun to make judgments anticipated when the tough-on-crime started. In the matter of criminal law around the mandatory minimums, “when the Tories tabled the bill, the Library of Parliament wrote in a legislative summary that “it is possible for the mandatory punishment, in a specific matter or reasonable hypothetical case, to be ‘grossly disproportionate,’ ” which is just what the court found.” http://o.canada.com/news/politics-and-the-nation/parliament/judges-as-harper-predicted-are-acting-as-a-check-on-his-absolute-power Related article: Ottawa Citizen, Andrew Seymour, and Tobi Cohen, Postmedia News: Mandatory victims fee unconstitutional, judge says – MacKay slams judiciary for ‘making a mockery’ of new rules around fines for criminals http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Mandatory+victims+unconstitutional+judge+says/9162546/story.html
CBC News – Timothy Sawa and Joseph Loiero
Prison beatings caught on video at Ontario and Quebec jails
A two and a half minute video accompanies the story and several other videos from other correctional facilities obtained by CBC. Some facilities have video monitors and some with monitors have blind spots. At times, guards may display an indifference to the video monitors and a sense of immunity to misconduct. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prison-beatings-caught-on-video-at-ontario-and-quebec-jails-1.2426904
Law Times (Canada) – Yamri Taddese
Feds pouring big money into aboriginal litigation
Newly released public accounts show that the biggest legal spender in the Federal government is the Northern Affairs Department, spending $106 million. The next rival for legal expense is the CRA at a mere $66 million. The economic development agenda of the Feds on Aboriginal lands seems to push the envelope. It seems that the Aboriginals win about 90% of that litigation. http://www.lawtimesnews.com/201311113587/headline-news/feds-pouring-big-money-into-aboriginal-litigation?utm_source=responsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20131111_CLNewswire
Rasmussan College (US) – Elizabeth Ross
Healthy Healing or Cop Out: Can Restorative Justice Help Curb Juvenile Crime?
In the US, 250,000 kids are put through the adult criminal justice system each year. Any given night, 10,000 are held in adult jails. There are 70,000 housed in any one of the 571 juvenile facilities each day. Recidivism rate for those in the adult system is 32%. About 12% of the juvenile facilities will experience sexual assault and exploitation by the predators there. Ross looks to RJ as an alternative. http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/justice-studies/blog/can-restorative-justice-help-curb-juvenile-crime Campaign for Youth Justice (April 2012 Fact sheet) http://www.campaignforyouthjustice.org/documents/KeyYouthCrimeFacts.pdf