Reading guides

Ø Criminal Justice actors

1. What are the major –formal and informal- criminal justice agencies in Canada? In other words, what are the institutions that have a major role in Canadian Criminal Justice?

2. What are the main stages in the Canadian criminal process? Give examples not mentioned in the text.

3. When may a trial by jury take place in Canada?

Ø Crime Control vs. Due Process

1. What is a theoretical model of Criminal Justice?

2. What are the common grounds between Crime Control and Due Process?

3. What is the main goal of Crime Control?

4. What is the main goal of Due Process?

5. What are the main differences between Crime Control and Due Process?

Ø Victims

1. What are the main problems suffered by victims in the Canadian Criminal Justice process?

2. What is the role of the victims in a criminal trial?

3. What are some of the main governmental responses to protect and empower victims of crimes?

4. What else could be done to improve the situations of victims in the Canadian Criminal Justice system?

Ø Sentencing

1. What are the main principles of sentencing?

2. What are the main purposes of punishment?

3. What are the main sentencing options in Canadian Criminal Justice?

4. How do judges decide the sentence in a criminal case?

Ø Youth Criminal Justice and youth assault

1. What is the Youth Criminal Justice Act? What is its scope of application?

2. What are the main principles in the YCJA?

3. What are the special rules for assault that apply to minors, both as victims and perpetrators of assault?

Ø Aboriginals and Criminal Justice

1. Why is there an over representation of Aboriginals in the Canadian Criminal Justice system?

2. Do aboriginals commit more crimes than white Canadians? Or do the criminal justice agents persecute aboriginals more severely than white Canadians?

3. Is there a clash between Aboriginal Values and the values of the Criminal Justice System? If so, what are these conflicting values?

4. What measures have been taken in the last few years to improve the situation? Have they been effective?

5. What can be done to eliminate the overincarceration of Aboriginals in Canada?

Ø Police

1. What is the structure of policing in Canada?

2. What are the main roles of police?

3. What are the main police powers regarding detention, arrest, search and seizure, entrapment, use of force, and interrogation of crime suspects?

4. What are the main Charter limits?

Ø Restorative Justice

1. What is Restorative Justice?

2. What are the main principles?

3. What are the main forms that can Restorative Justice take?

Ø Parole

1. What is parole?

2. What are the main types of parole?

3. What is the difference between parole and probation?

4. What are the criteria for granting or denying parole?

Ø Correctional Institutions

1. Who goes to the federal correctional system and who goes to the provincial correctional systems? What is the two-year rule?

2. Discuss life inside prison and the main problems faced by inmates.

3. What is classification?

4. What is risk analysis?

5. What is case management?

6. Discuss some institutional treatment programs.

Ø Child pornography

1. What Criminal Justice model predominates in the structure of child pornography crimes?

2. What are the main child pornography crimes?

3. What are the main exceptions?

4. Do you think that sentences are too severe or too soft for child pornography?

Ø Gangs

1. What is a gang?

2. What are the different types of gangs?

3. Are all gangs criminal?