Summer School 2010
Criminal Justice and Social Policy
LAWS 4701 A - Instructor: Chris McNaught (Also listed as SOWK 4701 A and SOCI 4701 A )
Title: The War on Terror - Real or Metaphorical Pursuit of Global Justice and Security?
“The lesson for the twenty-first century is that the fight for security, prosperity and justice can no longer be won
on any one nation’s ground. It is international.” (Will Hutton)
This course will critically examine whether American isolationism, paradoxically reflected in costly adventurism,
inconsistent Canadian foreign policy, the disastrous global markets, and the festering politics of faith/ideology,
have rendered the West morally and practically incapable of championing sound and effective responses to key
global issues. How can the full rule of law and the tolerant values of democracy be restored ? The answer must
include a search for leadership which can compel an international focus of integrity.
Tuesday and Thursday, 18:05 – 20:55 p.m. (May-June)
Prerequisite: Fourth-year Honours standing or Permission of Department
SOCI 4702 : Instructor: Darryl T Davies (Also listed as SOWK 4702A and LAWS 4702A)
Title: Wrongful Convictions in the Canadian Criminal Justice System
This course will examine the factors that have been directly linked to wrongful conviction cases specifically in
Canada. We will look at how often wrongful convictions occur and in particular what implications they have for
accused persons who are subsequently exonerated. We will attempt to answer a variety of questions such as:
What impact do wrongful conviction cases have on the credibility of the criminal justice system? How does the
state and the justice system respond when people complain that they have been wrongfully convicted? What role
do the police, crown attorneys, judiciary and the corrections system play in wrongful conviction cases? What
impact do wrongful convictions have on the lives of people once they are proclaimed innocent and released from
prison? What can we do to reduce the frequency of wrongful convictions in the criminal justice system in the
future? Examples of topics covered in this course include: Marginalization and Wrongful Conviction, Tunnel
Vision by Police, Noble Cause Corruption, Eyewitness testimony, Plea-bargaining, Testimony by jailhouse
informants, Errors by Crown Attorneys, Pressures by the Community and the contribution played by the
adversarial system in securing convictions. Cases covered will include: Donald Marshall, David Milgaard, Guy
Paul Morin, William Mullins-Johnson, Steven Truscott , Alain Olivier, Thomas Sophonow and recent cases that
have come to light involving forensic pathologist Dr. Charles Smith and Manitoba Crown Attorney George
Dangerfield along with others. Where relevant American cases will also be discussed with respect to patterns of
similarity in the area of wrongful convictions.
Mondays & Wednesday 14:35-17:25 p.m. (May-June)
Prerequisite 4th year honours standing or permission of Department
SOWK 4703 A - Instructor: Andrew Webster (Also listed as LAWS 4703 A and SOCI 4703 A)
Title: Social Justice and the Residual Welfare State
This course examines social justice and social policy in the context of natural and artificial human dependencies.
It contrasts the difficult relationship between redistributive (social) justice and retributive (criminal) justice,
recognizing the pervasive tendency to criminalize, stigmatize, and marginalize the poor and the dependent. The
range of possible and actual social protections is explored, with reference to obligations of levels of government
to provide social protections, and considering the state’s fiduciary and protective roles in areas such as child
welfare, health, and Aboriginal affairs. Central to this are historical intergovernmental tensions over fiscal and
administrative responsibility in mainstream and Aboriginal social welfare. The course also ponders social
protections in light of changing needs of communities for protection against adverse effects of market
liberalization. It asks how neo-Liberal economics, associated with ‘globalization’, alters expectations of the role
of state, province, municipality, family, individual, charity, and private enterprise towards the vulnerable and
dependent. The discussion includes how, and why, social protections emerge and sometimes wither, and why
governments avoid interventions in light of the growing role of the courts in defining, and striking down, social
policy. SOWK 4703 is intended for social work, sociology and law students, but it will benefit anyone needing
to understand the emerging conflict between social justice and the increasingly residual Canadian welfare state.
Monday and Wednesday, 17:35 – 20:25 p.m. (May-June)
Prerequisite: Fourth-Year Honours standing or Permission of Department
Globalization and Criminal Justice