The Critical Race Theory: Examination of Minority Involvement in the Canadian Criminal Justice System
The Canadian population can be characterized as a multicultural and diverse system of individuals. There is little doubt that certain minority groups posses a lifestyle and pattern of behavior inviting conflict or confrontation with the police (Fleras & Elliot, 1996). In light of this confrontation, an increase can be seen in the number of Black individuals killed in comparison to Caucasian individuals by Canadian police officers. Specifically, in 1996 the Black Action Defence Committee of Toronto noted that there were more shootings of Black civilians in Toronto than in some larger American cities such as Los Angles (Aylward, A.C. 1999).
The Critical Race Theory, employed in the R.D.S case, allows Professor Glasbeek to establish a history of poor relations between the police and minorities in Nova Scotia, and also across Canada. In five cited cases, the Glasbeek article demonstrates that the criminal justice system is uniform in condoning the use of force by police officers. Further, in the event that a white male officer commits manslaughter while on duty, acquittal is likely without further appeal in almost all Canadian trials . In many cases, a jury will be selected and will consist of all Caucasian members. This is not proportional to the number of minority members of any given community, town or city. Specifically, five cases are cited to show that after a white police officer shoots an individual criminal charges are generally dismissed. However, the fact remains that visible minorities are likely to be shot more often, and to be killed more often by white police officers. Further, at each trial no jury memb...
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...mination and racism have decreased in recent years, in reality, many minority individuals are negatively effected by the actions of the police, and the miscarriages of justice carried out in the Canadian court system even today (Fleras & Elliot, 1996). Even though stringent guidelines are in place in the selection of juries for trial, it still remains that less minorities actually serve on Canadian juries despite efforts to counterbalance this blatant inequality. The outcome of this imbalance is an even larger gap, or imbalance in dealing with police officers accused of and charged for killing unarmed civilians.
References
Aylward, A.C., The Canadian Critical Race Theory, 1999. Halifax: Ferneuld.
Fleras, A., & Elliott, J. L., Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada.1996. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice Hall.
Fleras, Augie. “Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Repairing the Relationship.” Chapter 7 of Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada. 6th ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2010. 162-210. Print.
Canada likes to paint an image of peace, justice and equality for all, when, in reality, the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in our country has been anything but. Laden with incomprehensible assimilation and destruction, the history of Canada is a shameful story of dismantlement of Indian rights, of blatant lies and mistrust, and of complete lack of interest in the well-being of First Nations peoples. Though some breakthroughs were made over the years, the overall arching story fits into Cardinal’s description exactly. “Clearly something must be done,” states Murray Sinclair (p. 184, 1994). And that ‘something’ he refers to is drastic change. It is evident, therefore, that Harold Cardinal’s statement is an accurate summarization of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationship in
John Steinbeck was perhaps the best author of all time. He was the winner of a Nobel Prize, and among other accomplishments, Steinbeck published nineteen novels and made many movies during his lifetime. All of his experience and knowledge are shown through his novels. A reader can tell, just in reading a novel by Steinbeck, that he had been through a lot throughout his life. Also, Steinbeck worked very hard to accomplish everything that he did during his lifetime. Nothing came very easily to him, and he had to earn everything he owned. This helped him in his writing, because he was able to write about real people and real experiences. John Steinbeck got his inspiration from life experiences, people he knew, and places he had gone.
Smith, Brad W., and Malcolm D. Holmes. "Community accountability, minority threat, and police brutality: An examination of civil rights criminal complaints." Criminology 41.4 (2003): 1035-1064.
According to Dr. Carl S. Taylor, the relationship between minority groups and police in the United States has historically been strained. Some cities have a deep and bitter history of bias and prejudice interwoven in their past relationships. The feeling in many communities today is that the system pits law enforcement as an occupying army versus the neighborhood. Dr. Taylor wrote about easing tensions between police and minorities, but stated “If there is any good news in the current situation, it is that the history of this strain has found the 1990’s ripe for change.
Comack, E. (2012). Racialized policing: Aboriginal people's encounters with the police. Black Point, Nova Scotia: Fernwood Publishing.
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Every great writer creates powerful images and presents story lines that draw their readers deep into the pages of their books, however; any writer would be hard pressed to do so without incorporating their own feelings, trials and tribulations into the plots and John Steinbeck is no exception. Through his appreciation for adventure and willingness to indulge in it, Steinbeck found a myriad of fascinating people in addition to experiences that he was eager to share. Past various negative criticisms and frequent rejections of his work, he manages to provide relatable characters capable of deep connections to those who enter into the realms of his tales. John Steinbeck's early life experiences influenced his portrayals of women, his love of the land, and his intimate connection to the plight of lower social classes, themes which translate into his work.
John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. His father's family, originally called Grossteinbeck, had come from Wuppertal, about twenty miles east of the German city of Düsseldorf. During summers he worked as a hired hand on nearby ranches, "nourishing" his impression of the California countryside and its people (Lisca 32). He made occasional exciting trips to San Francisco with his family and more frequent trips to the Monterey peninsula (Fontenrose 2). In 1918, he became ill with pneumonia and almost died, but he was able to recover. After graduating from Salinas High School in 1919, Steinbeck enrolled at Stanford University, taking courses in English and Marine Science (Bloom 11). He was always an excellent stude...
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Depression, also known as major depression, is a severe constant mood state of being depressed and with the feeling of hopelessness over a long period of time. Other names for major depression include chronic depression and clinical depression. Things seem wrong, you hate your life, being happy seems distant, you’ve developed a hatred for the people around you and the thoughts of suicide keep popping into your head. Does this describe you? If it does, you may be suffering from clinical depression, a condition and not a sign of weakness.
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Toronto, Canada: Canadian Scholars' Press, 2000. 167-186. The 'Secondary' of the 'Secon Ogawa, Brian K. Color of Justice: Culturally Sensitive Treatment of Minority Crime Victims. Allen and Bacon: Needham Heights, MA, 1999. Saleh Hanna, Viviane.
Al-Waqfi & Jain (2008) examine racial discrimination trends in the employment circles in Canada using data that is sampled from randomly selected legal cases that are documented from the Canadian Human Rights’ groups. This article describes some of the major theoretical perspectives that describe racial discrimination. Of significant importance is the trend in such employment discrimination within the last two decades. Through the help of data from the documented legal cases, Al-Waqfi & Jain (2008) assert that racial diversity within Canada’s population as well as workforce has been on the rise. The two authors use reliable census data to demonstrate how the statistics of the victims of such discrimination have almost tripled in the last ...
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