From Crime to Punishment

This well-written text is designed to make criminal law and procedure understandable to students and non-lawyers. The authors provide a straightforward overview of the entire criminal law system, from arrest and compelling the appearance of the accused, to evidentiary issues, including search and seizure rights and protections, electronic surveillance, eyewitness testimony and DNA Evidence, to trial procedure, to sentencing powers and principles, to the appeal process. The legislation which frames this system is also extensively discussed including the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The sixth edition adds an important new chapter on Judicial Decision Making. This chapter looks at how judges, and the jury, assess the credibility of all the competing evidence before them in deciding how they are to come to a fair and reasoned decision. Issues such as child witnesses, criminal records, and direct testimony of the accused are examined in this regard.