Issue 40.3
Nancy Wright Editor
Editorial by Irving Kulik, CCJA Executive Director
CCJA Interview with Dirk Young – Peer Outreach Worker, St. Leonard’s House Windsor, and Author
By Nancy Wright, Ed.
Dirk Young—Peer Outreach Worker, St. Leonard’s House Windsor—draws on his lived experience of poverty, immigration, gang involvement, incarceration, and reintegration in his work supporting lifers and other long-term prisoners. Young champions peer-led models like St. Leonard’s PeerLife, which helped him envision life beyond prison and provided the guidance and support he needed. By prioritizing dignity, accountability, positive role models, and trust over punishment, his work challenges stereotypes about crime and rehabilitation, proving that transformation is possible through meaningful connection and opportunity. In his memoir, Under, Over or Through It, Young (2020) reflects on the experiences that shaped his journey from adversity and incarceration to peer support with St. Leonard’s, now helping others the way he was once helped.
CCJA’s Policy Review Committee (PRC): Activity Synopsis
By Dr. Myles Frederick McLellan, PRC Chair
The Policy Review Committee is one of CCJA’s most active and influential bodies. Meeting nine times a year, it monitors legislation and drafts briefs, weighing in on key Canadian criminal justice issues in Parliament. Its diverse membership brings insight to debates on legislation, public safety, and justice reform. Find out more at ccja-acjp.ca.
Focus on the Criminal Justice Association of Ontario (CJAO)
By CJAO
Fostering dialogue, education, and innovation across Ontario’s justice landscape, the Criminal Justice Association of Ontario (CJAO)—a long-standing affiliate of the Canadian Criminal justice Association (CCJA) — leads public engagement through conferences, seminars, and forums. Gabriella Riggi wins CJAO’s student writing competition for 2024-25 with a standout essay on U.S.-Canada policy shifts—featured in this issue. Through events and mentorship, CJAO continues to advance justice locally and nationally.
How a Once-Strong Alliance is Now Affecting the Canadian Criminal Justice System
By Gabriella Riggi
This essay by Gabriella Riggi (University of Windsor) is the 2024–25 winner of the Criminal Justice Association of Ontario’s Annual Student Essay Competition. Riggi examines the impact of recent U.S. policy shifts under President Donald J. Trump on Canada’s criminal justice system. Focusing on immigration, border security, and trade, Riggi examines how U.S. decisions have affected law enforcement practices, legal rights, and public safety in Canada—especially in border communities like Windsor, Ontario. By linking economic pressures to potential increases in crime and barriers to justice, the piece offers timely insight into the cross-border ripple effects of U.S. domestic politics on Canadian legal and policy environments. The CCJA congratulates Gabriella on her achievement, and the CJAO on its innovative essay competition.
The Creation of Miscarriage of Justice Canada: Restoring Justice for the Wrongfully Convicted
By Dr. Myles Frederick McLellan
Miscarriage of Justice Canada (MJC) addresses systemic failures leading to wrongful convictions in non-homicide cases. Co-founded by Dr. Myles Frederick McLellan and criminal justice expert Dr. Gary Botting, MJC emerged as a result of the enactment of Bill C-40 (David and Joyce Milgaard’s Law), which replaced the flawed ministerial review process with the independent Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission (MJRC). As of September 2025, MJC will assist individuals with credible claims of wrongful conviction, including many from marginalized, racialized or vulnerable communities. It also handles select homicide cases involving criminalized survivors of violent domestic abuse and coercive control convictions. Through partnerships, research, and public education, MJC aims to improve access to justice, restore public confidence, and ensure no credible wrongful conviction claim goes unheard.
Healing Roots, Preventing Harm: Trauma, Mental Health, and Early Intervention to Protect At- Risk Youth from Criminalization
By Rosmary Fernandez
Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial, by Benjamin Perrin, lives up to its name. Perrin, having worked in a myriad of justice-related roles, most recently as a Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia, does indeed indict the Canadian criminal justice system in this latest work. Thought-provoking and exceptionally edited, Indictment includes thoughtful, if not raw, conversations and data woven between personal stories of victimization, racism, and violence. Perrin raises perspectives experienced by BIPOC groups, often not thought of, or envisioned and poignantly exampled, such as the “talk” and “carding.” Perrin also discusses BIPOC persons being more frequent victims of suspicion and use of force.
Book-Review Article of Joel Bakan’s The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power
By Miranda Henderson
In this timely and incisive book-review article, Miranda Henderson revisits Joel Bakan’s 2004 classic The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by connecting its core arguments to current Canadian realities. She underscores the book’s enduring relevance amid record corporate profits, weak regulation, and widening inequality. Henderson distills Bakan’s central claim—that corporate law incentivizes antisocial behaviour—and explores its implications for justice and governance. By linking corporate conduct to strain theory and real-world cases, she offers a compelling introduction for readers newly engaging with Bakan’s critique. Dr. John Winterdyk, Justice Report Book Review Editor.
Book-Review Article (AU) of Christian Leuprecht and Jamie Ferrill’s Dirty Money: Financial Crime in Canada by John Langdale
By John Langdale
Guest Book Review Editor Dr. André Normandeau brings an article-review by John Langdale of Dirty Money: Financial Crime in Canada offering a critical examination of money laundering and illicit financial flows (IFFs) in Canada. Edited by Leuprecht and Ferrill, the edition bridges academic and practitioner insights to explore the country’s vulnerability to financial crime, including transnational laundering networks linked to fentanyl trafficking. Reviewer John Langdale (AU) highlights key themes: ineffective federal oversight, under-resourced AML regimes, and blind spots in Canada’s regulatory framework. Chapters cover underground banking, trade-based laundering, cryptocurrency risks, and geopolitical exploitation by state actors. While at times repetitive, the book succeeds in raising urgent questions about policy failures and enforcement gaps, with Langdale calling for coordinated action across jurisdictions.
Délinquance juvénile au Maroc: la liberté surveillée comme choix de traitement en milieu ouvert
By Chahid Slimani
Chahid Slimani (2022) presents liberté surveillée, a form of juvenile probation and a key open-environment measure in Morocco’s youth justice system. Codified in Article 481 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, it allows judges to maintain a minor in their home or another appropriate setting, both during the provisional phase (before sentencing) and the definitive phase (after sentencing). This article outlines the legal foundations and operational structure of this measure, including judicial discretion and the role of youth protection delegates. Slimani advocates for broader use of this tool to support observation, assessment, and reintegration planning as an alternative to custody.
Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the Association’s views, but are included to encourage reflection and action on the criminal justice system throughout Canada.