JustResearch Edition no. 13

WELCOME

Welcome to the Research and Statistics Division's most recent issue of JustResearch. In this issue, we are excited to be focusing on a topical and thought-provoking theme: Achieving Justice for Vulnerable Canadians. Research has consistently demonstrated that some groups of people are more likely to become involved in the justice system, particularly as victims, including children, street youth, Aboriginal people, visible minorities, and low-income Canadians. Being able to understand the distinct needs and experiences of vulnerable groups in the justice system is an important step in developing efforts to achieve more equitable social relationships and promote a fair, accessible, and efficient system of justice.

The articles in this edition of JustResearch shed light on a number of significant issues concerning some of the more vulnerable groups in Canadian society. Kathryn Campbell and Myriam Denov provide insight into the experiences of the wrongfully imprisoned in Canada based upon findings from their groundbreaking research study. Kuan Li examines the important issue of trafficking in persons and argues there is a pressing need for more Canadian research to fill significant gaps in the existing knowledge base. Randall Kropp, Stephen Hart, and Henrik Belfrage present the results of their evaluation into a new risk assessment tool designed to assist law enforcement officers in assessing the risk of future violence during domestic violence investigations. Jeff Latimer examines the responses of Canadian courts to cases of child sexual exploitation, as well as the recidivism rates of offenders who have been convicted of child-specific sexual offences. Albert Currie discusses recent data emerging from a national study into civil law problems and highlights the occurrence of such problems among vulnerable groups. Finally, Janet Graham summarises a multi-site survey of victims of crime and criminal justice professionals conducted by PRA Inc. on behalf of the Department of Justice Canada.

In addition to our profile articles, we are also pleased to provide several research briefs, including a statistical profile on vulnerable Canadians by Jacinthe Loubier, a statistical note on women in the legal profession by Fernando Mata, and a polling report on same-sex marriage by Allison Millar. And, as always, we have included a section on recent and upcoming research from the Research and Statistics Division.