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Lifelong Incarceration in Canada by Matthew Derek Spencer BA University of Saskatchewan, 2009 JD Unive

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Lifelong Incarceration in Canada by Matthew Derek Spencer BA University of Saskatchewan, 2009 JD Unive Hope for Murderers? Lifelong Incarceration in Canada by Matthew Derek Spencer B.A. University of Saskatchewan, 2009 J.D. University of Saskatchewan, 2014 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF LAWS at the Faculty of Law, University of Victoria © Matthew Derek Spencer, 2016 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Hope for Murderers? Lifelong Incarceration in Canada by Matthew Derek Spencer B.A. University of Saskatchewan, 2009 J.D. University of Saskatchewan, 2014 Supervisor Distinguished Professor Gerry Ferguson (Faculty of Law) Co-supervisor Professor Elizabeth Brimacombe (Department of Psychology) iii Abstract Supervisory Committee Supervisor Distinguished Professor Gerry Ferguson (Faculty of Law) Co-supervisor Professor Elizabeth Brimacombe (Department of Psychology) Abstract This thesis explores the issue of lifelong incarceration in the Canadian context. Lifelong incarceration, defined as a criminal sentence which forecloses hope of prospective release from its outset, is a new sentencing option in Canada, only possible after legislative amendments enacted in 2011. Sentencing for murder in Canada is examined from a historical and comparative point of view to contextualize the issue of lifelong incarceration. An interdisciplinary approach is also used, drawing on the field of psychology to explore the meaning and importance of hope. I argue that all sentences in Canada should leave an offender with hope of prospective release. My argument situates hope within the principles of sentencing law codified in s. 718 of the Criminal Code as well as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee .................................................................................................................. ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. viii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... ix Chapter One - Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Chapter Two - Methodologies and Theories .................................................................................. 8 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 8 2. Methodologies...................................................................................................................... 8 a. Comparative Law ............................................................................................................. 8 b. Law and Psychology ...................................................................................................... 11 c. Criminology ................................................................................................................... 13 3. Hope Theory ...................................................................................................................... 15 i. Goals............................................................................................................................... 16 ii. Pathways......................................................................................................................... 17 iii. Agency ........................................................................................................................... 18 iv. Barriers ........................................................................................................................... 19 v. The Risks of Hopelessness ............................................................................................. 20 4. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter Three – History of Murder Sentencing in Canada .......................................................... 22 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 22 2. Murder Sentencing in Canada ............................................................................................ 23 3. Mandatory, Commutable Death Sentences - Murder Sentencing from 1867-1961 ........... 25 a. The Royal Prerogative of Mercy........................................................................................ 27 b. Questioning Capital Punishment .................................................................................... 33 4. Capital Punishment Restricted - Murder Sentencing from 1961-1976 .............................. 36 5. A New Sentencing Regime – Murder Sentencing from 1976- 2011 ................................. 40 a. The Faint Hope Clause ................................................................................................... 41 b. R. v. Luxton – A Constitutional Challenge ..................................................................... 45 6. Homicide Rates and Length of Time Spent in Custody ................................................. 47 7. Changes to the Sentencing of Murderers Since 2011 ........................................................ 48 v Chapter Four – Emerging Jurisprudence under the Protecting Canadians by Ending Sentence Discounts for Multiple Murders Act ............................................................................................. 51 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 51 2. Elements of a Sentence under the Multiple Murders Act .................................................. 51 3. Cases under the Multiple Murders Act .............................................................................. 54 a. R. v. Baumgartner .......................................................................................................... 54 b. R. v. Bourque .................................................................................................................. 57 c. R. v. Vuozzo .................................................................................................................... 60 d. R. v. Husbands ................................................................................................................ 62 e. R. v. W.G.C. .................................................................................................................... 64 f. R. v. Bains....................................................................................................................... 64 g. R. v Koopmans................................................................................................................ 66 h. R. v. O’Hagan and Another ............................................................................................ 67 4. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 68 Chapter Five – International Experiences with Lifelong Incarceration ........................................ 73 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 73 2. Benefits and Drawbacks of Lifelong Incarceration ........................................................... 73 3. Lifelong Incarceration - A Global Overview ..................................................................... 76 a. Life Sentences in Germany ............................................................................................ 78 b. Juvenile Life Without Parole in the United States ......................................................... 81 c. Whole-Life Tariffs in the United Kingdom ................................................................... 91 4. Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 100 Chapter Six – What is Hope? Lessons from Psychology .......................................................... 102 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 102 2. The Legal Study of Hope ................................................................................................. 102 a. Law in the Cultivation of Hope .................................................................................... 103 b. Hope, Imprisonment, and the Constitution .................................................................. 106 c. Sentencing and the Salience of Pain and Hope ............................................................ 108 3. The Importance of Freedom............................................................................................. 111 4. The Psychology of Hope .................................................................................................. 114 a. The Risks of Hopelessness ........................................................................................... 114 vi 5. What Should
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