FINAL EXAM Flashcards
problem-solving courts
SPECIALIZED courts that are designed to DIVERT offenders with SPECIAL NEEDS from the CJS. departure from the adversarial system. its a shift to treatment and rehabilitation. They address issues that LED to offending, promote accountability
therapeutic justice
approach in problem-solving courts that uses the law and courts authority as CHANGE AGENTS to promote the HEALTH and WELL-BEING of offenders, while ensuring the their LEGAL RIGHTS are PROTECTED and justice is done
courtroom workgroup
the CJ professionals, incl. judge, Crown counsel, and defence lawyer that are PRESENT in the criminal courtroom
judicial independence
judges are NOT SUBJECT to pressure and influence and are FREE to make impartial decisions based solely on fact and law. No political interference
what are the 4 levels of courts that deal with criminal cases?
1) prov/terr. courts
2) prov/terr superior courts
3) provincial appellate courts
4) Supreme Court of Canada
Summary conviction offence
less serious crime. maximum penalty of a fine (not to exceed $5000) or 6 months in provincial correctional facility, or BOTH.
indictable offence
more serious criminal offence. may max sentence from 14 yrs to life.
example: murder, robbery, aggravated sexual assault
Hybrid (or elective) offences
Offences that can be PROCEEDED by summary or indictment - decision always made by Crown
preliminary hearing (aka preliminary inquiry)
a hearing to determine if there is SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE to WARRANT a criminal trial
Judicial interim release (BAIL)
the RELEASE of a person charged with a criminal offence prior to trial
remand
the status of accused persons in custody AWAITING trial or sentencing
security certificates
a process where NON-CANADIAN citizens who are deemed a THREAT can be held WITHOUT charge for an indefinite period of time
plea bargaining
agreement where an accused pleads guilty in exchange for the promise of a benefit
open-court principle
principle that with certain exceptions, every stage of the court process MUST be OPEN and ACCESSIBLE to PUBLIC
stay of proceedings
an act by the Crown to TERMINATE or SUSPEND court proceedings AFTER they have commended
not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD)
a defence that RELIEVES the accused person of criminal responsibility due to a mental disorder
restitution
court-ordered PAYMENT that the offender makes to the victim to COMPENSATE for LOSS of or DAMAGE TO PROPERTY
criminal injury compensation
financial remuneration paid to crime victims
proportionality (in sentencing)
sentence must be PROPORTIONATE to the GRAVITY of offence and to DEGREE of RESPONSIBILITY of the offender
principle of restraint (in sentencing)
ensures that sentence imposed is JUST and APPROPRIATE punishment and nothing more
suspended sentence
sentencing option where the judge CONVICTS the accused but doesn’t give a sentence and instead gives a probation order. If the offender doesn’t breach anything then no sentence will be given
intermittent sentence
sentence that is served on PART-TIME basis, usually weekends
probation
sentence given to offender by a judge where offender is SUPERVISED in the community by a probation officer. This is either as an alternative option than custody or in CONJUNCTION with a period of incarceration in a prov/terr correctional institution
concurrent sentences
sentences that COMBO and are served simultaneously
consecutive sentences
sentences that run SEPARATELY and are completed one after the other (think of christopher watts sentence)
judicial determination
an order by the sentencing judge that the offender serve one-half of their sentence BEFORE being eligible to apply for parole
dangerous offender
a designation made by judge AFTER conviction that results in offender going to a FEDERAL correctional institution
long-term offender
designation under s. 752 or s. 753 of CC that requires the offender to spend up to 10 years under supervision AFTER the expiry of their sentence
gladue report
a report prepared before sentencing of INDIGENOUS OFFENDERS which sets out the HISTORICAL EVENTS that may be related to the offenders conflict with the law and criminal behaviour
gladue decision
decision by the SCC which held that if the offender is Indigenous, judges must consider their unique circumstances and not charge them how they would any other person
conditional sentence (of imprisonment)
sentence for offenders who receive a sentence less than 2 years where the offender serves their time in the community under the supervision of a probation officer
sentencing disparity
harsh af sentences being given out for SIMILAR offences committed by SIMILAR offenders in SIMILAR circumstances
collateral consequences (in sentencing)
sanctions and prohibitions that are placed on convicts (and their fams), especially those offenders who have been incarcerated
besides the 4 levels of courts that deal with criminal cases, which territory in Canada has their own single level?
Nunavut
1st level of courts that deal with criminal cases and what it consists of?
provincial/territiorial courts.
1) dispose almost all criminal cases
2) NO juries
3) young offenders/provincial statute violations cases
4) deal with preliminary inquiries
examples: family court, small claims
responsibilities of criminal courts (3)
1) determine guilt or illness
2) impose appropriate sentence
3) protect accused rights
the primary structure of accountability for federally appointed judges is the ____ _____ _____
Canadian Judicial Council (CJC)
what are some judicial complaints the CJC hear of?
1) gender bias
2) racial bias
3) religious bias
4) conflict of interest
5) cultural insensitivity
6) undue delay in making a decision (should not take longer than 6 months)
what are some disciplinary actions or sanctions imposed on judges from the CJC?
1) removal from bench (extremely rare)
2) leave of absence with pay/letter of reprimand
3) counselling
4) educational workshops
5) make the judge apologize to the complainant
judges at provincial court level are appointed by ______ _______ and judges of the superior courts are appointed by the ______ ______
provincial governments, federal government
provincial/territorial way of appointing judges
each province/terr. has a Judicial Advisory Committee made of lawyers/laypersons appointed by the attorney general. These screening committees forward nominations to the JUSTICE MINISTER, who makes the FINAL appointments
Federal way of appointing judges
under the Canadian Constitution, SCC judges are to be appointed by the GOVERNOR GENERAL of Canada. In practice though, its usually the PM and cabinet that make the selections and approval of the GG is a formality
Supreme Court Act
requires that the potential appointee be a judge in a prov superior court of have at least 10 years experience as a lawyer. AND at least 3 of the 9 judges MUST be from QUEBEC
what does appointment of judges seem to rely on?
political affiliation
compare traditional (T) court accountability vs. problem solving (PS) court accountability
TRADITIONAL (T) vs PROBLEM SOLVING COURT
1) uses resources (T) WITHIN the court system, (PS) outside the court system
2) (T) IMPERSONAL and procedural, (PS) PERSONAL and individualized
3) (T) little involvement outside of court, (PS) involvement outside the court
4) (T) focus is on PROCESSING cases THROUGH the system, (PS) focus on effectiveness of methods
5) (T) focus on ADJUDICATING, (PS) focus on PROBLEM-SOLVING
6) (T) communication is through lawyers, (PS) judge communicates directly with “client”
examples of prov/terr. specialized problem solving courts
1) mental health courts
2) drug treatment courts
3) indigenous courts
4) domestic violence courts
challenge with therapeutic justice
high-rates of not completing and not complying
prov/terr. circuit courts are also known as
the travelling court
How many circuit courts are in BC?
46
prov/terr circuit courts
they are courts that travel to places around Canada that do not have a proper court set. many communities have them come by once a month. Sometimes courts are held in schools, community centres, or any building thats empty.
what are the problems that arise with prov/terr circuit courts?
1) backlog of cases
2) time constraints
3) language and cultural barriers
four main places that circuit courts travel to
1) Northwest territories
2) Northwestern Ontario
3) Northern Quebec
4) Nunavut
what is the concern that judges have when coming up with a sentence in circuit courts?
should they remove the convicted person from the community and place them in confinement FAR AWAY?
what are some considerations and ways of striking down the challenges of sentencing in circuit courts?
1) encourage community Elders to participate and for support of dispute resolution and alternatives to incarceration
2) restorative justice
prov/terr superior courts
highest level of PROVINCIAL court. they are administered by prov/terr governments but judges are appointed federally.
About ____% of criminal cases are heard in prov/terr. SUPERIOR COURTS
10%
what are the two levels of prov/terr superior court?
1) trial (hears serious criminal offences)
2) appeal (hears criminal/civil appeals from trial)
they can be done at the same time or in 2 different courts.
trial court may be also known as
Supreme court or the Court of Queens Bench. they hear the most serious cases
appeal court may also be known as
Court of Appeal
there is one court of appeal in each province and territory, except in ______ and ______, where there are ___
Quebec and Alberta, two
difference between trial judges and appeal judges in how they work?
appeal judges are WAAY more isolated than trial judges. they spend most of their time researching and writing their opinions in their own chambers, enjoying only LIMITED contact with others (primarily their own law clerks)
chief of justice in Supreme court of BC
Chris E. Hinkson
chief of justice in BC court of Appeal
Robert James Bauman
Supreme Court of Canada (SCC)
was established under the CONSTITUTION ACT (1867). court of last resort. 9 judges, 3 judges must be appointed from Quebec)
Chief justice of SCC
Richard Wagner
T/F - the decisions of the SCC are final and can not be appealed
TRUE
where is the SCC located?
Ottawa
SCC was established under the Constitution Act (1867) but the bill wasn’t passed until
1875
what is the criteria to be appointed a judge in the SCC?
1) must be either superior court judge or lawyer
2) at least TEN YEARS standing at the bar in a prov/terr
3) must be selected from major regions of country but 3 must be from Quebec
what are the 3 federal courts?
1) SCC
2) Tax court
3) Federal court
Federal court
has trial and court of Appeal. Hears all cases concerning matters of FEDERAL LAW and appeals from the Parole Board of Canada
of all the cases requested to be seen by SCC, they only grant ____% of them
10%
why are courts comprised of an odd number (5,7,9) of judges?
to avoid ties
leave
when a defendant or Crown ask for permission to appeal the decision of a lower court. This is also called to LEAVE a case
reference
when the federal government ASKS the Supreme Court for a legal opinion on an important legal question. this is called reference
what is a challenge in the SCC rulings?
there is tension between individual rights in the Charter and the need to protect the general public
what were the cases that relate to the tension between Charter rights and the need to protect the general public? (7)
1) PHS (Insite - safe injection)
2) R. v. Morgentaler (giving abortions illegally)
3) R. v. Sharpe (child pornography)
4) R. v. Zundel (spreading false news)
5) R. v. Stinchcombe (police must give all evidence so defendant can make full answer and give defence to charges)
(6) Same sex marriage
(7) Reference re Secession of Quebec (secession)
R. v. Jordan and what legislation it changed
he basically had to wait a long ass time for his trial and so this set presumptive timelines for disposition of cases in courts
1) 18 months in prov court
2) 30 months in superior court
what are some criticisms of the presumptive timelines of cases in courts (18 months/prov and 30 months/superior)?
1) re-victimization due to dismissal
2) time guidelines not grounded in analysis
3) failure to see the seriousness of offences
courtroom workgroup is composed of (8)
1) Judge (maybe jury too)
2) Justices of Peace (not lawyers)
3) Defence lawyers
4) Duty counsel
5) Crown counsel
6) Court administrators
7) Court reporter
8) Sheriff
what is the role of Crown counsel?
1) to represent government, not victims
2) prosecute criminal cases
3) negotiating pleas
4) advising police
5) preparing for trial
6) appealing
challenges of Crown counsel
1) Increased worklouad (up to 50 cases a day)
2) 90 hour workweeks
3) budget reductions
4) prosecution of SENSITIVE cases (sexual offences, fam violence, and victimization of children)
5) Circuit court (little time to prep and language/cultural barriers)
What are the LEGAL REASONS as to why charges are NOT laid in many cases?
1) reliability and admissibility of evidence
2) credibility of witnesses