Wrongful Conviction Day, October 2, 2019

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Wrongful Conviction Day, October 2, 2019 Heather Ruzylo To: Carey Campbell Subject: RE: Proclamation Request - Wrongful Conviction Day, October 2, 2019 From: Carey Campbell Sent: Friday, August 23, 2019 11:05 AM To: 'Sharon'; Bill Matson; Heather Ruzylo; Kristine Elia Subject: RE: Proclamation Request - Wrongful Conviction Day, October 2, 2019 Dear Sharon: Thank you for your email requesting a proclamation. I am keying in staff to assist in moving your request forward. I trust that they will be in touch further with details and next steps. carey Carey Campbell | Manager | Office of the Mayor and CAO | City of Niagara Falls 4310 Queen Street | Niagara Falls, ON L2E 6X5 | 905.356.7521 X 4206 | [email protected] From: Sharon < > Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2019 4:37 PM To: Jim Diodati <[email protected]> Subject: Proclamation Request - Wrongful Conviction Day, October 2, 2019 Good afternoon Mayor Diodati, I hope this finds you well. My name is Sharon Wilton, a graduate of the Criminal Justice & Public Policy program at the University of Guelph, and a volunteer for Innocence Canada (formerly the Association in Defence of the Wrongfully Convicted). I am writing to you on behalf of Innocence Canada to request a proclamation for October 2nd, 2019 as Wrongful Conviction Day in Niagara Falls. The purpose of Wrongful Conviction Day is to spread awareness about wrongful convictions and the effects these convictions have on individuals, their families, and the society at large. Through Wrongful Conviction Day, Innocence Canada aims to decrease the amount of wrongful convictions in Canada by encouraging the justice system to address issues that contribute to wrongful convictions. Innocence Canada is a non-profit organization founded in 1993 and has been responsible for exonerating 23 wrongly convicted individuals. Amongst these exonerees are David Milgaard, Romeo Phillion, Steven Truscott, and Guy Paul Morin. There is an undetermined amount of individuals sitting in Canadian prisons right now for crimes they 1 did not commit. The varying factors leading to these convictions can include tunnel vision, false witness testimony, and forced confessions. Nobody is exempt from the possibility of being wrongfully convicted. Please visit http://www.innocencecanada.com/ if you would like more information on the organization, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions at 647-239-7672 or at We hope that you will be able to offer us assistance in our mission to declaring October 2nd as Wrongful Conviction day across Canada. Regards, Sharon Wilton - Innocence Canada Volunteer 2.
Recommended publications
  • Compensation for Wrongful Convictions: a Study Towards an Effective Regime of Tort Liability
    Compensation for Wrongful Convictions: A study towards an effective regime of tort liability by Laura Patricia Mijares A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Laws Graduate Department of Faculty of Law University of Toronto © Copyright by Laura Patricia Mijares 2012 Compensation for Wrongful Convictions: A study towards an effective regime of tort liability Laura Patricia Mijares Master of Laws Graduate Department of Faculty of Law University of Toronto 2012 Abstract How would you feel if after having spent many years incarcerated for a crime that you did not commit and when finally you are released to a broken life where there is nobody to respond effectively to all the damages that you have and that you will continue to endure due to an unfortunate miscarriage of justice? In Canada, compensation for wrongful convictions is a legal issue which has yet to find a solution for those who the government has denied to pay compensation for and the damages such wrongful conviction brought to their lives. This thesis will analyze the legal problem of compensation for wrongful convictions in Canada from a tort law perspective and will present an alternative to the existing regime to serve justice to those who have been victims of miscarriages of justice. ii Acknowledgments A new start is never easy. Actually, I believe that starting a new life in this country represents a challenge from which one expects to learn, but overall, to succeed. In my journey of challenges, and especially in this one, I would like to thank the persons whose effort made this challenge a successful one.
    [Show full text]
  • Truscott (Re) (August 28, 2007)
    CITATION: Truscott (Re), 2007 ONCA 575 DATE: 20070828 DOCKET: C42726 COURT OF APPEAL FOR ONTARIO MCMURTRY C.J.O., DOHERTY, WEILER, ROSENBERG and MOLDAVER JJ.A. IN THE MATTER OF SECTION 696.3 OF THE CRIMINAL CODE, S.C. 2002, C. 13; AND IN THE MATTER OF AN APPLICATION FOR MINISTERIAL REVIEW (MISCARRIAGES OF JUSTICE) SUBMITTED BY STEVEN MURRAY TRUSCOTT IN RESPECT OF HIS CONVICTION AT GODERICH, ONTARIO, ON SEPTEMBER 30, 1959, FOR THE MURDER OF LYNNE HARPER; AND IN THE MATTER OF THE DECISION OF THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE TO REFER THE SAID CONVICTION TO THE COURT OF APPEAL FOR ONTARIO FOR HEARING AND DETERMINATION AS IF IT WERE AN APPEAL BY STEVEN MURRAY TRUSCOTT ON THE ISSUE OF FRESH EVIDENCE, PURSUANT TO SUBSECTION 696.3(3)(a)(ii) OF THE CRIMINAL CODE. B E T W E E N: HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN ) James Lockyer, Philip Campbell, ) Marlys Edwardh, Hersh E. Wolch, ) Q.C. and Jenny Friedland, for the ) appellant ) (Respondent) ) ) - and - ) ) STEVEN MURRAY TRUSCOTT ) Rosella Cornaviera, Gregory J. ) Tweney, Alexander Alvaro and ) Leanne Salel, for the respondent ) (Appellant) ) HEARD: January 31, February 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13 and 14, 2007 Page: 2 PART I – INTRODUCTION............................................................................................7 Overview of the Case.....................................................................................................7 History of the Proceedings Involving the Appellant ..................................................9 Overview of the Case for the Crown and the Defence in the Prior Proceedings...15
    [Show full text]
  • Miller Thomson LLP 1998-2008 WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS in CANADA
    Robson Court MILLER 1000-840 Howe Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6Z 2M1 THOMSON LLP Tel. 604.687.2242 Barristers & Solicitors Fax. 604.643.1200 Patent & Trade-Mark Agents www.millerthomson.com VANCOUVER TORONTO CALGARY EDMONTON LONDON KITCHENER-WATERLOO GUELPH MARKHAM MONTRÉAL Wrongful Convictions in Canada Robin Bajer, Monique Trépanier, Elizabeth Campbell, Doug LePard, Nicola Mahaffy, Julie Robinson, Dwight Stewart International Conference of the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law June 2007 This article is provided as an information service only and is not meant as legal advice. Readers are cautioned not to act on the information provided without seeking specific legal advice with respect to their unique circumstances. © Miller Thomson LLP 1998-2008 WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS IN CANADA Authors: Robin Bajer Monique Trépanier Elizabeth Campbell Doug LePard Nicola Mahaffy Julie Robinson Dwight Stewart TABLE OF CONTENTS WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS IN CANADA ...............................................................................2 CHAPTER ONE – Introduction and Background By Robin Bajer and Monique Trépanier..................................................................2 CHAPTER TWO – How Police Departments Can Reduce the Risk of Wrongful Convictions By Elizabeth Campbell and Doug LePard.............................................................12 CHAPTER THREE – Review: Wrongful Convictions and the Role of Crown Counsel By Nicola Mahaffy and Julie Robinson.................................................................40
    [Show full text]
  • Voices of Forensic Science
    Chapter 14 The Harmful Repercussions of Wrongful Convictions Preetha Jayanthan, Bailey Hennessy "No one should ever be wrongfully deprived of their rights to liberty and freedom without just cause, yet in the past 25 years alone thousands of people have been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to tens of thousands of years in prison." (Kerik, B. B., 2015) Wrongful convictions occur when the criminal justice system fails to uphold its gold standards and thus miscarriages of justice occur. This chapter will take a close look into wrongful convictions caused by, improperly implementing the gold standards of forensic science through examining the aftermath of a wrongful conviction. By paying particular attention to the process of exonerating an individual; with an emphasis on the resources, or lack thereof, available. The chapter will then move towards the supposed ‘finish line’ of being exonerated. This decision, however, does not make up for the psychological trauma caused to the victim of a wrongful conviction. For many, an incorrect conviction can cost years, if not decades, of one’s life. This often causes wrongfully convicted individuals to lose friends, family, and other important relationships, ultimately resulting in mental health issues. What is a Wrongful Conviction? A wrongful conviction occurs when an individual is accused or sentenced for a crime they did not commit, in other words, a miscarriage of justice has occurred (Denov & Campbell, 2005). The root causes of wrongful convictions are seen to be both individual and systemic in nature (Denov & Campbell, 2005). Some examples 253 Are We There Yet? The Golden Standards of Forensic Science of root causes include false confessions, and bias in the system, such as tunnel vision (Denov & Campbell, 2005).
    [Show full text]
  • Rule of Law Report
    RULE OF LAW REPORT ISSUE 2 JUNE 2018 EDITOR’S NOTE Heather MacIvor 2 TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF ADVOCACY FOR THE WRONGLY CONVICTED Win Wahrer 3 LEVEL – CHANGING LIVES THROUGH LAW Heather MacIvor 6 EDITOR’S NOTE This issue features two leading Canadian organizations dedicated to justice and the rule of law. Innocence Canada, formerly called AIDWYC (Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted), is dedicated to preventing and correcting miscarriages of justice. Win Wahrer Heather MacIvor has been with Innocence Canada since LexisNexis Canada the beginning. As the organization celebrates its 25th anniversary, Win tells its story. She also spotlights some of the remarkable individuals who support Innocence Canada, and those Photo by Fardeen Firoze whom it has supported in their struggles. Level, formerly Canadian Lawyers Abroad, targets barriers to justice. It aims to educate and empower Indigenous youth, enhance cultural competency in the bench and Bar, and mentor future leaders in the legal profession. This issue spotlights Level’s current programming and its new five-year strategic plan. By drawing attention to flaws in the legal system, and tackling the root causes of injustice, Innocence Canada and Level strengthen the rule of law. LexisNexis Canada and its employees are proud to support the work of both organizations. We also raise money for other worthy causes, including the #TorontoStrongFund, established in response to the April 2018 Toronto van attack. 2 TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF ADVOCACY FOR THE WRONGLY CONVICTED Innocence Canada, formerly the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC), is a national, non-profit organization that advocates for the wrongly convicted across Canada.
    [Show full text]
  • Advocate for Wrongly Convicted, David Milgaard Fights to Keep Innocent out of ‘Cages’”
    Networked Knowledge Media Reports Networked Knowledge Canada Homepage This page set up by Dr Robert N Moles On 2 OCTOBER 2014 Valerie Fortney of the Calgary Herald reported “Advocate for wrongly convicted, David Milgaard fights to keep innocent out of ‘cages’”. David Milgaard, who spent 23 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, spoke at the John Howard Society in Calgary on Thursday as part of the first Wrongful Conviction Day. Photograph by: Leah Hennel David Milgaard is not by definition an angry man. “I love my life,” says the youthful 62-year-old, who has called Calgary home for the past six years. “I’m grateful for everything I have today.” Stir his memories, though, and the old demons rush over him like an ocean wave. “I had trouble sitting with some men recently who were wrongfully convicted,” he says. “I wish to say that anger isn’t there, but it is there.” Despite the unwelcome emotions such encounters trigger, Milgaard — who spent more than 23 years in a Canadian prison for a crime he didn’t commit — stands outside the John Howard Society on Thursday morning, the featured speaker at a press conference launching the first Wrongful Conviction Day. Together with his long time lawyer Greg Rodin, who also lives in Calgary, Milgaard speaks passionately to the gathered media about the issues surrounding the wrongly convicted. “We cannot let innocent people be disqualified from life, from beauty,” he says. “In our Canadian prisons right now, we have wrongly convicted men, we have wrongly convicted women and, in some cases, children, sitting still right now inside cages.” The new day of recognition is being hosted by the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, a national non-profit organization that grew out of the Justice for Guy Paul Morin Committee.
    [Show full text]
  • David Collier's Surviving Saskatoon and New Comics
    Deena Rymhs David Collier’s Surviving Saskatoon and New Comics Since the #$$% publication of Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus, a two-volume graphic narrative that explores the author’s inheritance as the son of Holocaust survivors, comic books have attracted renewed attention. Recent &lm versions of V for Vendetta, Ghost World, Road to Perdition, American Splendor, and Sin City re'ect a growing interest in alternative comics. Distinct from the superhero tradition that has dominated the comic book industry, alternative comics originated in the #$()s and !)s as a primarily underground form. *is new strain of indepen- dent, creator-owned art saw “an unprecedented sense of intimacy” in the authors’ approach to their subject matter, an intimacy that “rival[led] the scandalous disclosures of confessional poetry but shot through with fantasy, burlesque, and self-satire” (Hat&eld !). *e personal tenor of these comics would coalesce into “New Comics,” the next wave of comic art that followed in the #$+)s and $)s. Inheriting the cross-genre tendencies of the under- ground comics before them, New Comics have persisted in pushing the rela- tively open boundaries of the form, branching into autobiography, biography, political documentary, reportage, and historiography. Like their predeces- sors, this body of literature exhibits a strong interest in marginal identities and the social values that engender di,erence. One of Canada’s most noted comic-book artists, David Collier has written several book-length graphic narratives since Robert Crumb &rst published Collier’s comic strip in #$+(. His work has also appeared in such mainstream venues as the National Post and 'e Globe and Mail.
    [Show full text]
  • Jury at This Lorraine Wood Sessions of the Supreme Court Andrea Buck of Ontario for the County of Leslie Harper Huron
    i Index Description Date Vol. Paqe PART ONE - THE PLEADINGS Indictment Sept. 9, 1959 Back of Indictment Sept. 9, 1959 Notice of Appeal to Ontario Court of Appeal filed on behalf of Steven Murray Truscott Oct. 10, 1959 Supplementary Notice of Appeal to the Ontario Court of Appeal filed on behalf of Steven Murray Truscott Jan. 7, 1960 Order in Council commuting sentence of death imposed upon Steven Murray Truscott to life imprisonment Jan. 21, 1960 Notice of Application for Leave to Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada on behalf of Steven Murray Truscott Feb. 9, 1960 Order in Council referring the case of Steven Murray Truscott to Supreme Court of Canada, pursuant to Section 55, Supreme Court Act Apr. 27, 1966 PART TWO - EVIDENCE Opening Remarks Witnesses CORPORAL JOHN WATSON ERSKINE (for Complainant) Examination in Chief by Mr. Hays Cross-examination by Mr. Donne 1ly Re-examina tion by Mr. Hays Recalled - Examination in Chief by Mr. Hays HELEN DOREEN BLAIR (for Complainant) Examination in Chief by Mr. Hays Cross-examination by Mr. Donnelly ii Index Description Vol. Paq? SHIRLEY IHRPER (for Compla inant) Examination in Chief by Mr. Hays 1 118 Cross-examination by Mr. Donnelly 1 126 DR. JOHN LLYWELLY'N PENISTAN (for Coxpla inant) Examination in Chief by Mr. Flays Cross-examination by Mr. Donne l.ly Re-examina t ion by YxQ Hays JOCELYNE GODDETTE (for ~omplainant) Exarriination in Chief by Mr. Hays Cross-examination by Mr. Donnelly INSPECTOR JGiR0L3 GRAHAM (for Complainant) Examination in Chief by Mr. Hays Cross-examination by Mr. Donnelly Recalled Cross- examination by Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Wrongful Convictions: the Effect of Tunnel Vision and Predisposing Circumstances in the Criminal Justice System
    Wrongful Convictions: The Effect of Tunnel Vision and Predisposing Circumstances in the Criminal Justice System Bruce A. MacFarlane 0 Table of Contents Part I: Introduction............................................................................................................... 2 Part II: “Predisposing Circumstances” in the Criminal Justice System............................ 5 A. Public and media pressure on law enforcement agencies..........................................7 B. Public reaction to the background of an offender. ...................................................16 C. Noble cause corruption.............................................................................................20 D.Distortions due to extraneous influences ..................................................................25 Part III: Tunnel Vision in the Criminal Justice System ............................................28 A. What is tunnel vision? ..............................................................................................28 1. Commission of Inquiry in Canada and the United States a) The Morin Public Inquiry b) Commission of Inquiry into the Wrongful Conviction of Stephen Sophonow c) Report of the Commission on Capital Punishment (Illinois) d) The Lamer Commission of Inquiry 2. Critical elements of tunnel vision B. How does tunnel vision occur?...............................................................................33 1. Psychological Roots.....................................................................................34
    [Show full text]
  • Online Chapter: Youth Justice in Canada
    Police officers skate with a youth at the opening of the Regent Park skating rink in Toronto. Why might positive experiences with police officers help discourage criminal behaviour in youth? (rmnoa357/Shutterstock.com) Online Chapter: Youth Justice in Canada LEARNING OUTLINE After reading this chapter, you will be able to • Describe current trends in youth crime • Identify the differences between the Juvenile Delinquents Act, the Young Offenders Act, and the Youth Criminal Justice Act • Provide some reasons why sentences for youth are mitigated • Describe the involvement of youth in serious and violent crimes • Identify the pathways to girls’ involvement in crime 2 CASE STUDY Youth Involved in Homicide Brett Wiese, a University of Calgary student, was stabbed to death on 12 January 2013 after a group of young people who had been kicked out of a house party “returned with a ‘posse’” to carry out a “revenge-motivated assault” (Martin, 2015). Wiese was stabbed seven times, another partygoer was severely wounded, and several others were assaulted. Jazlyn Radke, who was 17 years old at the time, was found guilty of second- degree murder, two counts of assault, and one count of aggravated assault for her role in the offences. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2015), Radke had been kicked out of the party but she “refused to go and was scream- Mitchell Harkes, the 19-year-old who was sentenced to ing, swearing and swinging at partygoers before life imprisonment along with Radke, is shown here being vowing to return.” arrested. The public is generally understanding of youth Although the murder occurred in January 2013, who commit minor crimes but is less forgiving of youth and Radke was convicted in April 2014, the sen- who commit violent offences.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Matter of Steven Truscott
    IN THE MATTER OF STEVEN TRUSCOTT ADVISORY OPINION ON THE ISSUE OF COMPENSATION THE HONOURABLE SYDNEY L. ROBINS, Q.C. March 28, 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 1 I. MY MANDATE ........................................................................................................................... 2 II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND....................................................................................................... 3 III. REFERENCE TO THE COURT OF APPEAL............................................................................ 7 IV. DECISION OF THE COURT OF APPEAL ................................................................................ 9 (i) The First Pillar Evidence Elated to the Time of Lynne Harper's Death ........................ 9 (it) The Second Pillar Eyewitness Evidence as to Where and When Steven Truscott was Seen on the Evening of June 9 .................................................. 11 (Hi) The Third Pillar. Post-Offence Conduct......................................................................... 13 (iv) The Fourth Pillar The Penis Lesions Evidence .............................................................. 14 (v) Other Evidence Considered by the Court of Appeal ........................................................ 15 The Court of Appeal's Conclusion................................................................................................. 17 V. ENTITLEMENT
    [Show full text]
  • Donald Marshall on Life After Prison Thomas Mann
    "You can't be mad forever": Donald Marshall on Life After Prison Thomas Mann When I think back about the booze and dope, maybe in a strange way prison saved me. It preserved my body by putting me on the shelf for ten years or so. Many of my friends from the old days are now pushing up daisies or are "out to lunch" from the booze and dope. It could have been me. Donald Marshall onald Marshall's soft-spoken and easy-going demeanor, combined Dwith his boyish sense of humour and an uncomplicated view of the world, make one instantly at ease talking with him. Not often does he complain or criticize. He is from the old school. He calls it the way he sees it and without hesitation. He has slugged it out a time or two along the way. Sometimes he won, sometimes not. He rarely looks back into his past except when asked, which is far more frequent than he prefers. He generally accepts his "celebra-con" status, at times jokes about it, yet has a disdain for the media who created it. "The media will eat you up and leave nothing. They can be brutal. They can turn you around so fast they will give you a hernia," states Marshall. He is very committed to his family, his Native Micmac community, and friends. He warmly and frequently discusses his recently deceased father, former Micmac Grand Chief Donald Marshall Sr., as well as his work with native young offenders. Donald likes to laugh and enjoy life.
    [Show full text]