But the rationale of that deci-
sion was criticized by represent-
atives from the B.C. Civil Liber-
ties Association (BCCLA) and
British Columbia Crown Coun-
sel Association.

JEREMY HAINSWORTH

Televising the trials of those accused in last June’s Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver will create a distorted view of justice, while drawing public attention away from deficiencies in British Columbia’s criminal justice system, legal observers say.

“If the only reason is to have a show trial, that’s not an adequate justification,” BCCLA executive director and lawyer David Eby told The Lawyers Weekly.

The association has no objections to cameras being allowed in courtrooms so long as the aim is to educate the public about the functioning of the judicial system. But that’s not the case with the riot accused, he said. “It runs the risk of sensationalizing these trials and treating these defendants differently than people who are more blameworthy.”

THE LAWYERS WEEKLY

ENVIRONMENTALIST

Health minister must
reconsider special review

Vol. 22, No. 27 NEWS FOR THE LEGAL PROFESSION December 6, 2002

PAGE 19

The plan for TV coverage has also raised an old chestnut in legal circles about whether justice is properly served with cameras in courtrooms.

MULTIMEDIA

Attorney General Shirley Bond said the decision to direct the Crown to make applications to televise the trials is part of the government’s pledge for open

PAUL LAWRENCE FOR THE LAWYERS WEEKLY

Crown Counsel Association president Samiran Lakshman went further, saying Bond’s direction to prosecutors is a political diversion from the contention that the province’s justice system is crumbling.

Toronto criminal defence lawyer Adam Goodman says the constitution should form a barrier to any thought of bringing private prisons to Canada.

THE LAWYERS WEEKLY

“

Can private jails

See Prison Page 12 See Riot Page 31

We believe broadcasting the trials of accused rioters is in the public interest and will help to maintain confidence in our justice system.

Lakshman said Bond’s direction means valuable court time in a system short on judges will be taken up dealing with TV cameras in the courtroom. He said the process for such applications would be applied. “It will take more time to hear these cases as a result.”

come to Canada?

VOL. 22, NO. 27 NEWS FOR THE LEGAL PROFESSION DECEMBER 6, 2002 VOL. 22, NO. 27 NEWS FOR THE LEGAL PROFESSION DECEMBER 6, 2002

vate Prisons and Mass Incarceration, are also issues in Canada today, despite the lack of private prisons, said Constance Backhouse, a law professor at the University of Ottawa. “We know that the cost of keeping individuals in prisons is exorbitant, and hugely wasteful. We know that putting distressed convicts into close confines with other distressed convicts is not rehabilitative. We know that prisons are relatively lawless, and becoming more so.”

DONALEE MOULTON

A controversial report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) slams private prisons and mass incarceration in the U.S. for harming imprisoned individuals and the government’s bottom line while making companies extremely wealthy.

A file’s metadata
holds many clues

But the system is already bursting at the seams, he suggested. He referred to a Dec. 31 provincial court report that says the B.C. justice system is 18 judges below the 143-judge complement that has been used as an effective baseline, as of 2005.

PAGE 25

Shirley Bond,

BRANDING

B.C. Attorney General

Legal experts in Canada say that the same jailhouse problems — escalating violence, increased costs, and overcrowding—exist in this country, and the federal government’s new omnibus crime bill may sow the seeds for private prisons here. There is, however, a constitutional issue that may make this impossible. The federal government is also saying private prisons are not coming to Canada.

Self-concept isn’t
always reality

and accountable government and public engagement.

And, he added, the 18-month time period the Supreme Court of Canada has suggested as reasonable for a case to be heard has now been exceeded in more than

PAGE 26

THE LAWYERS WEEKLY

“We believe that the public wants transparency when dealing with those charged in the matters surrounding the Vancouver riot,” she said in a statement to The Lawyers Weekly. “Ultimately, the judiciary will make the decision about whether to broadcast the proceedings.”

2,500 cases.

As of Jan. 9, the Crown had approved 177 riot-related charges against 30 people.

“The Tories talk about law and
order, but they care little about
whether law is observed inside
prisons,” she said. “Instead, they
abandon prisoners and guards to
their fates inside violent, sick,
disturbed institutions.”
Bond conceded that broad-
casting the trials could amount to
a “public shaming” for some
accused, but stands by the deci-
Key issues raised in the ACLU
report, Banking on Bondage: Pri-

There is concern that Ottawa’s tough new crime bill, the Safe Streets and Communities Act, will put greater pressure on the prison

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