Crime

Researchers say race-based police violence changes the way members of affected communities make financial decisions, with negative effects on their capacity to build long-term wealth

Financial decision-making for Black individuals can be dealt a major blow by race-based police violence, new research suggests, offering insight into the far-reaching effects of police brutality.

The study, titled “Race, Police Violence, and Financial Decision-Making,” examined detailed American data on home ownership and contributions to a pension plan – using statistics broken down by zip code – as well as information on fatal police encounters.

Lisa Kramer (supplied image)

The analysis suggests police violence negatively influence financial decision-making for Black individuals, even when they are not directly involved in the incidents.

“We find that when a member of the Black community is killed in a police incident, the members of that racialized group in that local area experience changes in their financial decision-making that are not just statistically significant, but economically large,” says co-author Lisa Kramer, a professor of finance in the department of management at University of Toronto Mississauga and the Rotman School of Management.

“I think what was most surprising was the magnitude of the effects.”

The study, which will appear in the May issue of AEA Papers and Proceedings, was carried out by �鶹ֱ��app’s Kramer, Duke University’s Vicki Bogan, University of Manitoba’s Chi Liao and University of Mannheim’s Alexandra Niessen-Ruenzi. It explored whether two key pieces of the “wealth pie” for most individuals – home ownership and retirement savings – might be affected by race-based police violence. While many studies have already looked at the grief and community trauma associated with race-based police violence, Kramer says the ripple effects on economic decision-making have been analyzed to a far lesser extent.

The research showed Black individuals were 47.5 per cent less likely to own a home than their non-Black counterparts. After exposure to police-based violence, that gap increases to 62.2 per cent, the study suggests. It also found that Black individuals’ participation in defined contribution pension plans was reduced after exposure to police violence.

“We find already just to start with, just at the baseline, Black households are less likely to even own a home than others. And once they've observed one of these events in their local community, they become much less likely to own a home,” Kramer says.

Since researchers analyzed demographic, socio-economic and geographic data from U.S. households from 1999 to 2019, some recent key events – including the 2020 Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd that prompted anti-racism protests all over the world – were not captured.

“I think in this more recent era, where social media allows these events to get on the collective consciousness more quickly and more fully, we might find that any sort of traumatic implications that arise might even be more pervasive,” Kramer says.

And while the study is based on American data, Kramer says its findings likely apply in Canada as well.

“Certainly in Canada we have also had incidents of racialized violence with police involvement. We're not immune to that in Canada,” she says. “There's every reason to believe that the effects that we document aren't unique to the United States.”

The study doesn’t delve into why police-based violence could have such an effect on financial decision-making for Black individuals, but it does hint at possible explanations, including disengagement from financial decision-making after police violence in a local area and decisions to relocate following an incident.

Kramer, who notes that the study does not seek to deliberately cast police forces in a negative light, says she and her colleagues want to explore possible causes for their findings in future research.

“Right now, we’re identifying a striking set of results,” she says. “We find differences in financial outcomes at the local community level after these police-involved fatalities. Next, we need to identify the mechanisms that drive the results by testing different hypotheses.”

The hope is that the research will add to broader findings on racial inequalities and spark ideas about potential remedies to underlying problems.

“We're looking to explore those events through a financial lens because it's so important to make sure that households have the financial resources that they need,” Kramer says. “And if there is a connection there – as it appears there may be – we want to start the conversation, in a data-driven way.”

Waiting to inhale: �鶹ֱ��app researcher explores the link between cannabis laws and racial injustice

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 19:35:29 +0000

Waiting to inhale: �鶹ֱ��app researcher explores the link between cannabis laws and racial injustice

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 04/13/2023 - 15:35

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(Photo by Brian Summers)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Our Community

Black Research Network

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Cannabis

Crime

�鶹ֱ��app Mississauga

A new co-authored book by Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an associate professor in the department of sociology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, examines how harsh cannabis laws have contributed to racial injustice – and how to repair the communities most affected.

Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice illuminates how the war on drugs has disproportionally impacted Black and Indigenous communities in the United States through the stories of people who are on the front lines of advocacy.

The book, which came out this week, was written with entrepreneur and cannabis industry leader Tahira Rehmatullah. Both authors are scheduled to take part in a launch event at Massey College on April 19.

“The book really provides an overview of how drug law enforcement and the policing of drugs, especially cannabis, has been used to target Black, Indigenous and other racialized populations,” Owusu-Bempah says.

“We talk about the huge impact that this has had – not only on these individuals, but their families and their communities.”

In the 1970s, a U.S. government-led campaign – known as “the war on drugs” – was established to stop illegal drug distribution and use. In Canada, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney initiated a national drug strategy in July 1982.

But the criminalization of drug use and its history of systemically targeting racialized communities runs deeper.

In the U.S., The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 made the possession or transfer of cannabis illegal. According to the University of Pennsylvania, a trillion dollars have been spent enforcing drug policy since 1971. By contrast, about a billion dollars have been spent in Canada. Meanwhile, cannabis legalization in Canada and globally is a multibillion-dollar industry.

While discussions and political campaigns about cannabis legalization have largely focused on the positive societal and economic factors, it has in most cases failed to acknowledge the injustices of the war on drugs.

Waiting to Inhale personalizes the need for criminal justice reform in the U.S. through interviews with people who have served unjust cannabis convictions. Some are now dedicated to advancing cannabis amnesty, including Evelyn LeChapelle of Oakland, Calif., who was convicted in 2013 as a young mother. She spent 87 months in prison after a 2013 arrest for a small role in a cannabis distribution operation – despite having no previous criminal record. LaChapelle was released in 2018 and is now a social justice advocate and entrepreneur who offers employment to those with a similar story.

The book also tells the story of Michael Thompson, who in received a prison sentence of 42 to 60 years for selling three pounds of cannabis to a friend – and police informant – in Michigan in 1994. Thompson was incarcerated for 25 years until the recreational use of cannabis became legal in the state in 2018. He was the longest-serving, non-violent offender in Michigan’s history.

“When we look at the harsh penalties associated with the simple possession of cannabis in many U.S. states, they are much more consequential than other more serious crimes like financial fraud or even violent offenses,” Owusu-Bempah says.

Canada and cannabis

While Waiting to Inhale focuses on the decriminalization of cannabis in the U.S, there are many parallels with Canada – a conversation Owusu-Bempah is leading.

Owusu-Bempah is a member of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy’s steering committee. Established to help reform Canada’s criminal justice system, the committee stems from a 2019 commitment from the federal government to address anti-Black racism and the over-representation of Black Canadians in federal prisons.

The criminalization of cannabis in Canada can be traced to the 1920s when a moral panic was cultivated around its use, targeting Black and Indigenous populations. After a change in drug laws during the Mulroney administration, Black Ontarians experienced increased placement in the province’s correctional facilities. According to a 2021 report, one in 15 young Black men in Ontario has experienced jail time, compared to nearly one in 70 young white men.

Before legalization, Canadian youth had amongst the highest rates of cannabis use globally yet marginalized people are still most likely to be arrested for cannabis possession and use, Owusu-Bempah says.

Moving forward

In their book, Owusu-Bempah and Rehmatullah identify key action items to overturn racist policies and rebuild communities affected by cannabis criminalization.

Owusu-Bempah says clearing the records of the convicted remains vital in reconciliation since opens avenues for employment. He adds that redistributing tax revenue generated from legal cannabis sales to reinvest in and revitalize neighbourhoods is also important.

He would also like to see the legal industry create employment opportunities for people with cannabis convictions or other drug offences.

“What we want to see is space within this legal industry for those people who've been targeted by the war on drugs,” Owusu-Bempah says. “The billions of dollars spent on police, courts and corrections were not spent on schools, hospitals, community centres and community health-care centres within those neighbourhoods. We highlight these possibilities [in the book].

"At the most basic level, the criminal records of people who've been convicted of activities that are now no longer illegal should be cleared.”

Canada taps �鶹ֱ��app researcher for new Black Justice Strategy steering group

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 16:22:26 +0000

Canada taps �鶹ֱ��app researcher for new Black Justice Strategy steering group

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 02/16/2023 - 11:22

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Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an associate professor of sociology at �鶹ֱ��app Mississauga, conducts research on race, crime and criminal justice (photo by Brian Summers)

Topic

Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, has been named to Canada’s new Black Justice Strategy steering group and will co-author its recommendations to the federal government.

“I’m pleased to be taking part in such an important initiative,” said Owusu-Bempah, whose research examines race, crime and criminal justice. “The development of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy provides an opportunity to make meaningful change for Black communities that could have a positive impact for generations to come.”

The official announcement was made on Parliament Hill this week by a panel that included Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen and Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien.

“Many of us like to tell ourselves that justice is colour blind but, in the criminal justice system, we know it’s not,” said Lametti, noting that Black adults are overrepresented as victims of crime and are also consistently overrepresented in Canadian jails, making up about nine per cent of those in prison despite comprising less than four per cent of the overall population.

We have a lot of work to do to make Canada’s Black Justice Strategy a reality. It was nice joining @DavidLametti and colleagues yesterday for this important announcement. https://t.co/lf2nW2ki2I
— Akwasi Owusu-Bempah (@AOBempah) February 16, 2023

The nine-person steering group will be speaking with leaders, experts and members of Black communities across Canada to create recommendations by the end of 2023 to help reform and modernize the criminal justice system.

The goal, said Lametti, is to begin implementing changes in 2024.

“It’s an ambitious timeline,” he said. “But the circumstances demand it.”

The steering group is the first step in fulfilling a pledge made by the Liberal government in 2019 to address anti-Black racism and discrimination in the criminal justice system after advocacy groups and the United Nations criticized the overrepresentation of Black Canadians in federal prisons.

“Black people in Canada have a long history of mistrust and experiences of injustice with our criminal justice systems,” said Owusu-Bempah. “For as long as Black people have existed here, our legal and justice institutions have served to oppress them … we know significant changes need to be made to the way we administer justice in this country.”

Owusu-Bempah’ s co-author will be fellow committee member Zilla Jones, a criminal defence lawyer and anti-racism educator based in Winnipeg.

“(The strategy) is a historic acknowledgment by the Government of Canada that systemic anti-Black racism exists in Canada and that it has poisoned our justice system, negatively impacting the integrity of our communities and the futures of our children,” said Jones. “This initiative aims to give real meaning to the principles of redress and reconciliation.”

Owusu-Bempah’s appointment to the steering group follows his recent engagement by the Peel Police Services Board to help its Governance and Human Rights Committee address systemic racism – specifically anti-Black racism.

Before joining �鶹ֱ��app Mississauga, Owusu-Bempah held positions with Canada’s National Judicial Institute, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General.

He is the co-author of Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice.

Watch Akwasi Owusu-Bempah discuss his research on race, policing and cannabis

More homicides, fewer supports in Toronto's predominantly Black neighbourhoods: �鶹ֱ��app research

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 16:27:29 +0000

More homicides, fewer supports in Toronto's predominantly Black neighbourhoods: �鶹ֱ��app research

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 01/25/2022 - 11:27

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Tanya Sharpe, a researcher in �鶹ֱ��app's Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, says the Homicide Tracker is likely the first to map the outsized impact of homicide on Toronto's Black communities (photo by Rene Johnston/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Topic

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Health

Research & Innovation

Six homicides were recorded in Toronto during the first two weeks of 2022 – a statistic that led some to wonder if Canada’s largest city, which typically experiences the highest number of annual homicides in the country, would see more violence than usual in the year ahead.

While it’s too early to draw conclusions, a new report and interactive map from The Centre for Research & Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (the CRIB) provides insight into where homicides often happen, the factors that place Black communities at increased risk and the location of resources available to support those affected by homicide – including families and friends who are faced with the devastating challenge of grieving the violent death of their loved ones.

“To our knowledge, this is the first project of its kind to map the disproportionate impact of homicide on African, Caribbean, Black (ACB) communities in Toronto, while providing context for the root causes of homicide and recommendations for an action plan,” says Tanya Sharpe, an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and founding director of the CRIB.

“The absence of and lack of access to race-based data collection obstructs our ability to comprehend and respond appropriately to the chronic and cumulative impact that homicide has on Black communities. The CRIB aims to change that.”

The CRIB’s Homicide Tracker is an interactive GIS map that marks where homicides occurred in Toronto between 2004 and 2020 relative to African, Caribbean, Black (ACB) communities and service organizations that exist to serve them. Accompanying the map is a report on the social determinants of homicide, which identifies the key factors that put Black communities at an increased risk of homicide. The report includes recommendations for an action plan to not only reduce the inequitable conditions that contribute to the disproportionate number of homicides within Black communities, but to also increase the availability of culturally responsive trauma-informed care.

Racialized Ontarians account for 75 per cent of the 600 homicide victims each year in Canada – with 44 per cent of those victims being African, Caribbean or Black (ACB). Ontario itself averages around 232 murders per year and Toronto accounts for 77 of those murders – the highest number of any Canadian city.

The CRIB’s Homicide Tracker depicts the disproportionate prevalence of homicide in ACB neighbourhoods across Toronto and illustrates the availability of resources to assist family members and friends of murder victims. Compared to downtown neighbourhoods, Black survivors in the city’s northwestern neighbourhoods have less access to grief and bereavement supports.

“It is vital that we consider the systemic way that anti-Black racism permeates the very fabric of our society, infecting a plethora of systems and services that survivors of homicide victims engage with on a daily basis, as well as the ones they need and interact with as a result of experiencing the murder of a loved one,” says Sharpe.

Included in Social Determinants of Homicide is an overview of the educational, employment and income inequalities and mass incarceration rates experienced by Black communities in Toronto. For example, Black Torontonians are four times more likely to be charged with a crime than their white counterparts, while one in 15 young Black men in Ontario have been incarcerated, compared to one in 70 young white men.

The CRIB’s report also highlights parallels between COVID-19 and homicide. Neighbourhoods in Toronto that are chronically experiencing homicide are also experiencing high infection and death rates due to COVID-19. The social determinants of homicide are the same determinants that disproportionately place Black people at risk of COVID-19 infection, Sharpe says.

“Eliminating structural inequities is essential,” says Sharpe. “Addressing these inequities requires advancement in the policies we design, the services we deliver, and the culturally responsive research infrastructures we build.”

View The CRIB’s Homicide Tracker

Read the Social Determinants of Homicide report

Forensic science student develops 'sandblasting' technique to detect fingerprints

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 16:09:42 +0000

Forensic science student develops 'sandblasting' technique to detect fingerprints

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 04/27/2021 - 12:09

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Bethany Krebs, a fourth-year forensic science student at �鶹ֱ��app Mississauga, says blasting an abrasive specialized powder over a surface is a more efficient way to reveal fingerprints than the conventional dusting method (photo courtesy of Bethany Krebs)

Topic

Undergraduate Students

“Dusting for fingerprints” is a familiar term for fans of crime novels and TV shows. But if the University of Toronto’s Bethany Krebs has her way, forensic teams will soon be “sandblasting for fingerprints” instead.

The fourth-year forensic science student at �鶹ֱ��app Mississauga has conducted experiments showing abrasive blasting of a specialized powder over a surface is more effective at revealing fingerprints than the conventional dusting method.

Her study, part of an advanced independent project course, also found the innovative method to be more efficient and economical.

“This has the potential to be a viable alternative to detecting fingerprints, particularly with larger crime scenes where there are time and resource constraints,” says Krebs, who is completing a double major in forensics and criminology this spring.

Detecting fingerprints at a crime scene typically involves using a small makeup-style brush made of soft camel hair, fiberglass bristles or feathers to gently apply a fine powder to a hard surface. The powder is usually made of aluminum, chalk, bronze, graphite or iron, and often contains fluorescence to provide a strong contrast in the resulting finger markings. The powder will stick to any traces of sweat, oil or other natural skin secretions in latent (not visible to the naked eye) prints, revealing a pattern of ridges and furrows that is unique to each person’s fingers.

While the approach is technically effective, it is painstaking work that requires a methodical pace in order to avoid damaging the delicate fingerprint residue. As a result, it can take a long time when conducted over large areas, which goes against the imperative of speed that tends to drive crime investigations.

“One of the biggest issues is time,” says Krebs, who previously completed two years of a criminology undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University. “If you have a large and complicated crime scene, it could take a long time to brush areas for fingerprints.

“Also, if the brush is too stiff, or you apply too much pressure, or the powder is not uniformly distributed on the brush, it can damage fingerprints.”

With the guidance of forensic identification instructor Wade Knapp and lab technician Agate Gapinska-Serwin, Krebs set out to find a less invasive and more efficient method. First, she obtained samples of six substrates commonly found in homes: painted drywall, galvanized steel, treated hardwood, ceramic tile, laminate countertop and glass. She then asked two friends to touch the substrates, resulting in a total of 144 fingerprints.

A gravity-feed sandblasting gun powered by an air compressor is used to spray fluorescent yellow cornstarch powder (photo by Bethany Krebs)

Her research took place in early February at the Crime Scene House, a campus facility for practicing forensic science investigation and documentation techniques. There, she used a gravity-feed sandblasting gun powered by an air compressor to spray fluorescent yellow cornstarch powder over each sample. Cornstarch is a proven substance for fingerprint development that is much more affordable and readily available than regular fingerprint powder. It is also less toxic, making it safer for aerosolized application.

“It comes out as a cloud – it’s just settling on the fingerprints rather than being manually applied. It is completely contactless, meaning there is much less potential to damage prints,” Krebs says.

She then photographed the fingerprints that appeared and assessed her findings. With this method, 100 of the prints were fully developed and 10 were strongly developed – in both cases providing enough details to make an accurate identification. The results equated to a success rate of 76 per cent. Krebs is now exploring opportunities to formally publish her research.

Completing the study affirmed for Krebs what she enjoys most about forensics: the ability to apply scientific knowledge to help solve crimes.

“Making a difference in the lives of individuals by finding the truth is what motivates me,” she says.

�鶹ֱ��app’s Jooyoung Lee talks about the fugitive mindset on CBC News

perry.king — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 20:10:42 +0000

�鶹ֱ��app’s Jooyoung Lee talks about the fugitive mindset on CBC News

perry.king Mon, 07/29/2019 - 16:10

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Jooyoung Lee is an associate professor in the department of sociology

Perry King

Topic

Our Community

Crime

Faculty of Arts & Science

Sociology

As police continue to search for suspects Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod following reported sightings in Manitoba, CBC News asked the University of Toronto's Jooyoung Lee to speak about the mindset of fugitives and the mental toll of being on the run.

Schmegelsky and McLeod have been charged with killing University of British Columbia lecturer Leonard Dyck and are suspects in the deaths of tourists Lucas Fowler and Chynna Deese. The two teenagers have evaded police for more than a week.

Lee, an associate professor in the department of sociology, said in the weekend interview that fugitives may feel an initial sense of fun and excitement. But, he said, that feeling is quickly followed by anxiety – where stress builds up and “the most mundane things become fraught with anxiety” – like eating at a restaurant or filling the tank at a gas station.

“At this stage in the investigation, now that it has been going on for about a week or so, I suspect that the suspects are feeling very stressed out, they might be very paranoid,” Lee told the CBC’s Michael Serapio. “Every movement of theirs is under heavy surveillance and scrutiny, so this is a very stressful moment in this investigation.”

Watch Lee’s interview on CBC News

Solving Toronto's gun problem: �鶹ֱ��app researcher draws on gang experience in Toronto Star op-ed

perry.king — Wed, 09 Jan 2019 20:14:36 +0000

Solving Toronto's gun problem: �鶹ֱ��app researcher draws on gang experience in Toronto Star op-ed

perry.king Wed, 01/09/2019 - 15:14

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Adam Ellis, a �鶹ֱ��app researcher who once belonged to a street gang, addresses the city's public health approach to reducing gun violence in a Toronto Star op-ed (photo by Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Topic

City & Culture

Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies

Cities

Crime

Faculty of Arts & Science

Guns

In response to escalating gun violence in Toronto last year, the city adopted a public health approach to gun violence. That includes a version of the Interrupters program, which has been used in Chicago. The program recruits ex-gang members to intervene with young people to negotiate non-violent solutions to conflict.

But Adam Ellis, a University of Toronto researcher who was once a gang member who carried a gun for protection, writes in the Toronto Star that there are “no definitive studies” that support such an approach.

“First, would former gang members have changed my mind about violence? Probably not. Did you listen to anyone when you were a teenager?” writes Ellis, who is working on his PhD at �鶹ֱ��app's Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies.

“We need to start from zero, conduct research and bring the best thinkers to the table [on this issue]. I mean, if we can put people into space can we not find new and innovative ways of reducing violence?”

Read Adam Ellis’s Toronto Star op-ed

Crime and punishment with Anthony Doob

sgupta — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 15:41:47 +0000

Crime and punishment with Anthony Doob sgupta Thu, 01/30/2014 - 10:41

Kim Luke

Author legacy

Kim Luke

Topic

Subheadline

Most-cited �鶹ֱ��app expert discusses justice myths, realities

On February 6, Professor Emeritus Anthony N. Doob of the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies will deliver the annual John Ll. J. Edwards Lecture.

Doob is one of the three-most cited scholars in Canada and one of the top 25 most-cited scholars worldwide. He is renowned for his insights into our youth justice system, sentencing and imprisonment and for his influence on policy. Writer Kim Luke of Arts & Science Communications asked Doob to share his thoughts on Canada’s criminal justice system.

The title of your upcoming lecture is 'Losing our Balance.' How do you think Canada has lost its balance in Canadian criminal justice policy?
For more than a century, the Canadian government has struggled with the question of how to respond to crime. Imprisonment, for example, was seen as a necessary evil, but an evil nevertheless. Few commissions or political leaders (from any party) thought that sending more people to prison would either reduce crime or “cure” offenders. More recently, the Government of Canada seems to feel that almost any crime problem can be ‘solved’ simply by increasing the penalties that offenders will receive if they are convicted.

Are we overemploying criminal law in dealing with social issues? Should marijuana use, for example, be a crime?
In 1982, the Government of Canada issued a statement of its policies on criminal law and suggested that criminalizing behaviour should be done with restraint. We all understand that certain behaviours are unwanted or dangerous to others. But the Liberal government in 1982 suggested that we should use criminal law with restraint. So, on the issue of those who use marijuana, it is difficult to believe that criminalizing it is the best way of regulating it. Governments have many methods of regulating behaviour. The consequences of a criminal conviction are so widespread (and potentially devastating) that most people who have thought carefully about this problem would probably agree with the position taken in 1982.

How does Canada score in terms of dealing with youth offenders?
The treatment of youths who commit criminal offences was quite controversial in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. In 2003, however, the federal government brought in new legislation that has completely changed the way in which youths who offend are dealt with. Very simply, the law states that the use of the formal youth justice system – and the use of prison for youth – should be restricted to the most serious cases. It was understood by the framers of the law that most youths do things that could be considered to be crimes and most of these youths stop doing crime in their late teens. The result of the change in law was immediate and dramatic: the use of youth court and youth custody declined dramatically after the law came into effect in April 2003. This is seen, internationally, as a very successful instance of law reform. Rates of youth crime, as best we can determine, have continued to decrease.

You’ve been studying Canada’s criminal justice system for many years. What are some of the more disturbing trends? What are the more promising trends? Where do you think we’re heading?
Perhaps the most disturbing trend is that criminal justice policy does not appear to be crafted in line with any set of principles that serve the interests of Canadians – whether we are talking about the Canadian public generally, victims of crime, or those who are charged with, or convicted of criminal offences. It would appear that broad principles, consideration of empirical evidence, and careful attention to important details of the law have been set aside and all that really matters is how a change in the law will help the political fortunes of those in power.

The more promising trends, in recent years, come from the recognition in some provinces such as Ontario that some of the problems with the operation of the criminal justice system can be solved by the provinces and territories which are responsible for administering the criminal justice system. For example, Ontario has recently posted a set of recommendations on the website of the Ministry of the Attorney General that are related to improving the bail process. Currently about 60 per cent of the prisoners in Ontario prisons on an average night have not been sentenced to prison. Instead, they are awaiting trial or sentencing. These are difficult problems and there are probably no political benefits to fixing them. But attempts are being made by the provinces nevertheless. Unfortunately, the provinces cannot expect any help from the Government of Canada.

Are Canadian politicians afraid of being seen as “soft on crime?” How does public perception affect criminal policy?
My impression is that Canadian politicians have always had concerns about being seen as ‘soft on crime.’ But in the past, our political leaders seemed to believe that their role was to lead public opinion and to explain what they were doing rather than blindly follow the public. So, for example, Ministers of Justice – both Liberal and Conservative – used to issue broad written policy statements in part so that their full views could be debated and understood and they could be judged on their overall approach rather than by sound bites. More recently, these rather thoughtful approaches to crime policy are seen by the Government of Canada as being unnecessary, risky, or old-fashioned. Instead, the Government proposes or makes changes in the criminal law and then it suggests that these changes – which often simply increase legislative penalties – will make Canadians safer, even though the empirical evidence would suggest otherwise.

What do you think are the biggest misconceptions Canadians have about our criminal justice system?
This is an easy question to answer. It is the mistaken view that harsh sentences deter crime. Almost everyone who has ever looked systematically at the evidence in western countries knows that increasing the severity of sentences will not reduce crime. Similarly, there is now excellent evidence that the long- term effects of imprisonment on those sentenced to prison is that, if anything, those sent to prison will be more likely to commit crimes than equivalent people punished in the community. Members of the public believe otherwise because most of their political ‘leaders’ suggest that increased punishment is a quick fix to crime. It isn’t – except perhaps to get them re-elected.

The John Ll. J. Edwards Lecture presents Anthony Doob on “Losing our Balance: Old and New Directions in Canadian Criminal Justice Policy” on Thursday, February 6 at 4:30 pm.
Kruger Hall Commons,Woodsworth College
119 St. George Street, Toronto
416-978-3722, crim.events@utoronto.ca
Sponsored by the Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, Faculty of Law and Woodsworth College

Kim Luke is a writer with the Faculty of Arts & Science at University of Toronto.

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Crime

Race-based police violence impacts wealth of Black families, study finds

Waiting to inhale: �鶹ֱ��app researcher explores the link between cannabis laws and racial injustice

Canada and cannabis

Moving forward

Canada taps �鶹ֱ��app researcher for new Black Justice Strategy steering group

Read more about the Black Justice Strategy at CTV

Watch Akwasi Owusu-Bempah discuss his research on race, policing and cannabis

More homicides, fewer supports in Toronto's predominantly Black neighbourhoods: �鶹ֱ��app research

View The CRIB’s Homicide Tracker

Read the Social Determinants of Homicide report

Forensic science student develops 'sandblasting' technique to detect fingerprints

�鶹ֱ��app’s Jooyoung Lee talks about the fugitive mindset on CBC News

Watch Lee’s interview on CBC News

Solving Toronto's gun problem: �鶹ֱ��app researcher draws on gang experience in Toronto Star op-ed

Read Adam Ellis’s Toronto Star op-ed

Crime and punishment with Anthony Doob