Putting Trials on Trial

Sexual Assault and the Failure of the Legal Profession

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Criminal law
Cover of the book Putting Trials on Trial by Elaine Craig, MQUP
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Elaine Craig ISBN: 9780773553019
Publisher: MQUP Publication: February 16, 2018
Imprint: MQUP Language: English
Author: Elaine Craig
ISBN: 9780773553019
Publisher: MQUP
Publication: February 16, 2018
Imprint: MQUP
Language: English

Over the past few years, public attention focused on the Jian Ghomeshi trial, the failings of Judge Greg Lenehan in the Halifax taxi driver case, and the judicial disciplinary proceedings against former Justice Robin Camp have placed the sexual assault trial process under significant scrutiny. Less than one percent of the sexual assaults that occur each year in Canada result in legal sanction for those who commit these offences. Survivors often distrust and fear the criminal justice process, and as a result, over ninety percent of sexual assaults go unreported. Unfortunately, their fears are well founded. In this thorough evaluation of the legal culture and courtroom practices prevalent in sexual assault prosecutions, Elaine Craig provides an even-handed account of the ways in which the legal profession unnecessarily – and sometimes unlawfully – contributes to the trauma and re-victimization experienced by those who testify as sexual assault complainants. Gathering conclusive evidence from interviews with experienced lawyers across Canada, reported case law, lawyer memoirs, recent trial transcripts, and defence lawyers’ public statements and commercial advertisements, Putting Trials on Trial demonstrates that – despite prominent contestations – complainants are regularly subjected to abusive, humiliating, and discriminatory treatment when they turn to the law to respond to sexual violations. In pursuit of trial practices that are less harmful to sexual assault complainants as well as survivors of sexual violence more broadly, Putting Trials on Trial makes serious, substantiated, and necessary claims about the ethical and cultural failures of the Canadian legal profession.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Over the past few years, public attention focused on the Jian Ghomeshi trial, the failings of Judge Greg Lenehan in the Halifax taxi driver case, and the judicial disciplinary proceedings against former Justice Robin Camp have placed the sexual assault trial process under significant scrutiny. Less than one percent of the sexual assaults that occur each year in Canada result in legal sanction for those who commit these offences. Survivors often distrust and fear the criminal justice process, and as a result, over ninety percent of sexual assaults go unreported. Unfortunately, their fears are well founded. In this thorough evaluation of the legal culture and courtroom practices prevalent in sexual assault prosecutions, Elaine Craig provides an even-handed account of the ways in which the legal profession unnecessarily – and sometimes unlawfully – contributes to the trauma and re-victimization experienced by those who testify as sexual assault complainants. Gathering conclusive evidence from interviews with experienced lawyers across Canada, reported case law, lawyer memoirs, recent trial transcripts, and defence lawyers’ public statements and commercial advertisements, Putting Trials on Trial demonstrates that – despite prominent contestations – complainants are regularly subjected to abusive, humiliating, and discriminatory treatment when they turn to the law to respond to sexual violations. In pursuit of trial practices that are less harmful to sexual assault complainants as well as survivors of sexual violence more broadly, Putting Trials on Trial makes serious, substantiated, and necessary claims about the ethical and cultural failures of the Canadian legal profession.

More books from MQUP

Cover of the book The Constant Diplomat by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book The Precipice by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book Is It Possible To Live This Way? by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book Connected Struggles by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book Hijacking History by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book Neoliberal Governance and Health by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book Complexity's Embrace by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book Feelings of Structure by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book From Old Quebec to La Belle Province by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book The Campbell Revolution? by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book The Development of Postsecondary Education Systems in Canada by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book The Cultivated Landscape by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book The Unlit Path Behind the House by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book Brave New Canada by Elaine Craig
Cover of the book Networked Operations and Transformation by Elaine Craig
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy