This September, the news cycle spun at a frantic pace, between Ontario's municipal election notwithstanding clause issue and the confirmation hearings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the United States. In the world of criminal law, there are some other stories and case that are worth catching up on, in case you missed them.
September 2018 Criminal Law Round-up
Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice System: A Book Review
When the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) released its report in 2015, there were a number of items that centred on the criminal justice system and the over-representation of Indigenous people in courts and jails. The TRC identified a lack of sensitivity amongst lawyers working with residential school Survivors, which in some cases resulted in inadequate legal services. They included two calls to action for lawyers, first that the Federation of Law Societies ensure that lawyers receive appropriate cultural competency training (26) and that law schools require all students to take a course in Aboriginal people and the Law (27). The education of lawyers with respect to Indigenous issues is critically important, especially for those working in the criminal justice system, and Jonathan Rudin's "Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice System" is an essential resource.
