Issue 36.3
Editor: NANCY WRIGHT
*Police Use of Force in Canada: A review of data, expert opinion, and the international research literature
— EXECUTIVE SUMMARY —
By DR. SCOT WORTLEY, DR. AKWASI OWUSU-BEMPAH, ERIC LAMING, and CARAE HENRY
*Project developed by the CCJA and fund, in part, by Public Safety Canada
CCJA Interview WITH ROBERT (BOB) CHRISMAS
Use of Force in Canadian Policing
By NANCY WRIGHT
Justice Report, Editor-in-Chief
CCJA Interview on use of force in policing with Bob Chrismas, who is in his 32nd year with the Winnipeg Police Service, holds a PhD in Criminology, and is the author of several books and numerous articles.
YOUNG RESEARCHER SECTION
Female Offending and Mental Health in Canada
The CCJA congratulates JANAYA DUNN as the recipient of a Mount Royal University scholarship,
the benefits of which include CCJA membership and publication of the following shortened, article-style version of her winning Honour’s paper – “Female Offending and Mental Health in Canada” – in this issue of the Justice Report!
By JANAYA DUNN
Bachelor of Arts – Criminal Justice (Honour’s)
Class of 2021: Mount Royal University (Calgary, AB)
The link between criminality and women living with mental health issues has been somewhat overlooked in Canadian research. This could be due to lower crime and violence rates among females in comparison to males. According to Statistics Canada (2019), there was a slight decline in female Criminal Code offences from 2009 to 2017. Nonetheless, in 2017, females still accounted for 25% of individuals accused in police-reported incidents (Statistics Canada, 2019). In examining female offenders, many researchers look towards risk factors associated with home life, economic status, abuse, trauma, etc. Janaya Dunn puts a spotlight on female offenders and the link between mental health, offending trajectories, and overall criminality.
Mental Health and Substance Use in Corrections: Changing Perspectives and Advocating for Interdisciplinary Collaboration
By PATRICIA DOIRON – BCS, BA (Honour’s)
Corrections in Canada are mainly populated by people living with substance use issues, mental health conditions, or both. Interdisciplinary collaboration is the matrix of successful community reintegration and lies at the intersection between health and corrections. Understanding this medico-legal borderland is key to helping people entering the Canadian criminal justice system with underlying substance use and mental health conditions. Patrician Doiron explores the notion that a comprehensive and informed understanding of life experiences and concurrent disorders can assist in the provision of more effective, evidence-based models of rehabilitative care.
PART II—CRITICAL THINKING AND CRIMINAL DECISION MAKING
By BRANDI CHRISMAS
Graduate Student in Peace and Conflict Studies, Mauro Institute, University of Manitoba, BA / Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Manitoba
Part 1 of this article, in Justice Report 36.2 (2021), explored various theories of criminogenic behaviour and decision making dating back through time up to present day’s gang phenomenon. This final section will explore how research points to emotions having a major impact on decision making to the point of taking over the decision making process completely, leaving no room for considering risk or costs. The author explores the gang lifestyle, pointing out that social marginalization, such as poverty or racial intolerance/discrimination, seems to make certain youth emotionally vulnerable to the allure of a subcultural society, such as a gang. Part 2 here delves deeper into the gang phenomenon and recently formulated frameworks for criminal decision making. Read Part I in Justice Report No. 36.2 at www.justicereport.ca
Alberta Criminal Justice Association Official Statement
The CCJA stands with its affiliate, the Alberta Criminal Justice Association, in recognizing the immense grief and trauma that Canada’s Indigenous peoples suffer as a result of the Indian Residential School system. It is certainly time to move beyond words and take appropriate action to rectify the impacts of the Residential Schools.
The Alberta Criminal Justice Association’s Official Statement:
“The board and membership of the Alberta Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) stands with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc community who mourn their children discovered in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. The ACJA dedicates itself to supporting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls-to-Action, and petitions the federal and provincial governments to do the same.”
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.