Wrongful Conviction Round Table Report
On February 10, 2017, with financial aid and organizational help from the federal Department of Justice, the round table took place at the Law Society of Upper Canada, Innocence Canada hosted a roundtable to discuss specific reforms to the criminal justice system that would aid in reducing the number of wrongful convictions. The roundtable included a remarkable cross-section of players from across the justice system noted for their expertise on the subject of wrongful convictions. These included:
- University of Toronto law professor Kent Roach, an internationally recognized expert in wrongful convictions;
- Amanda Carling, a leading specialist in aboriginal justice issues and former Legal Education Counsel with Innocence Canada; currently, Manager of Indigenous Initiatives at University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law; and
- James Lockyer, a lawyer who, as co-founder of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (now known as Innocence Canada), is synonymous with the innocence movement.
The full report explains the need for the participants’ numerous recommendations, which include the creation of an independent review commission, the usefulness of expert evidence during trials, and guidelines for police interrogations.
The Future of Innocence Work in Canada
Many stakeholders involved in innocence work in Canada feel that, despite an accumulation of knowledge about the causes of wrongful convictions, only limited measures have actually been implemented to prevent and correct wrongful convictions and so wrongful convictions continue to occur.
In January 2015, Innocence Canada (formerly The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted or “AIDWYC”) arranged a one-day strategic planning session in order to bring together a selection of experts who are involved in Canadian wrongful conviction work. This report highlights the priority issues in Canadian innocence work that were identified and makes recommendations on how to affect more long-term change.