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Wrongfully convicted : guilty pleas, imagined crimes, and what Canada must do to safeguard justice

Roach, Kent (Author).

A top legal scholar explains Canada's national tragedy of wrongful convictions, how anyone could be caught up in them, and what we can do to safeguard justice. Canada's legal system has a serious problem: a significant but unknown number of people have been convicted for crimes they didn't commit. There are famous cases of wrongful convictions, such as David Milgaard and Donald Marshall Jr., where the system convicted the wrong person for murder. But there are lesser-known cases: people who feel they have no option but to plead guilty, and people convicted of crimes that were imagined by experts or the police that never, in fact, happened. Kent Roach, cofounder of the Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions, award-winning author, and law professor, has dedicated his illustrious career to documenting flaws in our justice system. His work reveals that the burden of wrongful convictions falls disproportionately on the disadvantaged, including Indigenous and racialized people, those with cognitive issues, single mothers, and the poor. Wrongfully Convicted raises awareness about wrongful convictions at a time when DNA exonerations are less frequent and the memories of most famous wrongful convictions are fading. Roach makes a compelling case for change that governments have so far lacked the courage to make. They include better legislative regulation of police and forensic experts and the creation of a permanent and independent federal commission both to investigate wrongful convictions and their multiple causes. Roach's research and vast knowledge point to systemic failings in our legal system. But he also outlines vital changes that can better prevent and correct wrongful convictions. Until we do, many of the wrongfully convicted are still waiting for the promise of justice. It is an issue that affects all Canadians.

Book  - 2023
347.71 Roa
1 copy / 0 on hold

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Location
Victoria Available
  • ISBN: 9781668023662 (hardcover)
  • Physical Description print
    359 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Publisher 2023

Additional Information

Syndetic Solutions - Table of Contents for ISBN Number 9781668023662
Wrongfully Convicted : Guilty Pleas, Imagined Crimes, and What Canada Must Do to Safeguard Justice
Wrongfully Convicted : Guilty Pleas, Imagined Crimes, and What Canada Must Do to Safeguard Justice
by Roach, Kent
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Table of Contents

Wrongfully Convicted : Guilty Pleas, Imagined Crimes, and What Canada Must Do to Safeguard Justice

SectionSection DescriptionPage Number
Forewordxi
Introduction: Unknown Wrongful Convictionsxv
Part 1Guilty Pleas
1    False Guilty Pleas3
2    Pleading Guilty to Killing Your Baby17
3    Are False Guilty Pleas Inevitable?39
Part 2Imagined Crimes
4    Thinking Dirty59
5    Drugs? Sexual Crimes?95
6    Murder? Accident? Suicide?117
Part 3Who Done It?
7    The Wrong Perpetrator?139
8    Failing Indigenous Accused and Victims153
9    Tunnel Vision and Alternative Suspects171
Part 4What Must Be Done
10    Preventing Wrongful Convictions199
11    The Slow Climb to Exoneration233
12    A New Commission to Uncover Miscarriages of Justice259
13    Improved Support and Compensation277
14    "Held Hostage by the Canadian Justice System"291
Acknowledgments305
Sources and Further Reading309
Photo credits339
Index341