Author archives

Common Justice Delivery Errors

Updated February 23, 2021 Justice delivery errors, are unfortunately, more common than one may think. Whether it be that innocent people are punished, or that the guilty escape punishment… Or when the guilty are punished MORE or LESS severely, than appropriate. Click the video to gain some quick insight into some of the most common …

Co-Signatory Request

David Milgaard and I have been working together on several upcoming projects, one of which is outlined below. As you know, David has been involved on many fronts, regarding the welfare and justice for wrongfully convicted Canadians. In addition, as advisors of the IRB Working Group, we have some ideas that might help accelerate their …

David Milgaard urges body to rectify Wrongful Convictions

Author: N. Porter, N.A. PORTER & ASSOCIATES On January 27, 2021, the Winnipeg Free Press published a news release, titled: “Milgaard urges body to rectify wrongful convictions”. Understandably, David Milgaard is upset; he spent 23 years of his own life behind bars for a crime he did not commit. In the years since his release, …

Punitive Justice in Canada & Why it is Ineffective

Author: N. Porter, N.A. PORTER & ASSOCIATES Prisons are part of a larger system called punitive (or retributive) justice. Under this system, if someone breaks the law, they’re essentially punished for that wrongdoing. The punishment is supposed to be proportionate to the crime and should accomplish two things: rehabilitate the original law-breaker and stop others …

Understanding the Problem of Youth Wrongful Conviction

Author: Nicole Porter, N.A. PORTER & ASSOCIATES The Issue at Hand Every time we post an article about wrongful convictions, it tends to re-open the discussion among the community about how easily a miscarriage of justice can occur. This is certainly a step in the right direction, because the public should know the truth about how …

COVID-19 outbreak at Joyceville Institution near Kingston, 80 inmates test positive

Eighty inmates at the Joyceville Institution have tested positive for COVID-19, while eight cases at two other institutions are believed to be linked to the prison near Kingston. Joyceville Institution is a medium-security facility located about 20 kilometres northwest of Kingston. Correctional Service Canada’s website says the facility holds 450 inmates. Five people have also …

Norway’s Lessons for Canada: Justice System Reform

Excerpt from original article: “In 1938, a government-mandated investigation of the Canadian criminal justice system found the need for massive reform. The evaluation, spurred by a series of protests, called for “radical change” that would have seen Canadian prisons transition from a punishment-focused approach to one more centered on rehabilitation. Despite the proposal, many of the suggestions failed to …

Death Row Exonerations

OVERVIEW “Given the fallibility of human judgment, there has always been the danger that an execution could result in the killing of an innocent person. Nevertheless, when the U.S. Supreme Court held the administration of the death penalty to be unconstitutional in 1972, there was barely any mention of the issue of innocence in the …

Justice Minister Plans Consultation for Canada’s First Wrongful Conviction Commission

Exciting news for Wrongful Convictions advocates around the country. The Trudeau government is prepared to consult Canadians on how to go about creating an effective independent commission to review possible wrongful convictions for criminal offences, something advocates and Innocence Canada have been keenly awaiting for years. As Jim Bronskill reported in a Canadian Press publication …