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The criminal justice system needs to resume trials for criminal matters despite the continued need for social distancing. The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia has secured large spaces that will allow jury trials to continue safely. Small Courtrooms around the country have delayed many trials due to their small size, but the Courts are […]

Organized crime can take many forms. Even seemingly minor acts of crime can quickly evolve into a societal issue if the occurrence of such crimes is not watched. While it is important for policing services to keep organized crime under control, it is also important to remember that these actions may unintentionally target groups

Advances in artificial intelligence have allowed for many different organizations to more accurately predict human behaviour. These predictive tools are being used by policing agencies around the world. While Canada may not be using these tools to predict crime as often as other countries, it is important to remember that these new predictive tools

Criminal activities continue to change and evolve as technology improves. In a first of its kind case in Alberta, a man is being charged with the illegal production of fire arm parts using a 3D printer. 3D printers have enabled some people to produce their own functioning gun parts. Law enforcement teams continue to

COVID-19 restrictions have caused many people who suffer from opioid or other substance addictions to not receive proper support. Some officials have called for the federal government to decriminalize hard drugs. Federal prosecutors have been told to only prosecute serious drug possession offences and to look for sentencing alternatives outside of the criminal justice

COVID-19 has prompted the Court system to re-evaluate how trials and jury trials will take place in order to properly maintain social distancing. While some cities are exploring the use of civic centres or hotels, Calgary will take advantage of the existing structures previously used for the Calgary Stampede.

Changes to the Criminal Code from 2012 have been deemed unconstitutional by the Ontario Court of Appeal. This decision marks an important moment for the Courts as sentencing Judges will have another way to protect certain groups from systemic discrimination. While this decision was made with the unique circumstances of Aboriginal offenders in mind,

Genetic testing can be extremely personal for individuals. Discrimination against those who chose to not take a genetic test or disclose the results of a previous test can carry a heavy criminal punishment: a fine up to a million dollars or a 5-year prison sentence. The Court system must develop and change as quickly

The Supreme Court has recently ruled in R. v. Thanabalasingham that a person’s right to trial within a reasonable time was breached because it took over four and a half years for the trial to begin. This is much longer than the ruling in R. v. Jordan, which stated that trials should finish within

Extreme levels of intoxication is a common occurrence in the criminal justice system. A recent lower Court decision could allow loss of control due to intoxication to be used as a defence. While some groups are criticizing the decision, others say that this defence will be difficult to prove in Court and will not