David Milgaard spent 23 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Thomas Sophonow was put on trial three times before he was wrongfully convicted, and spent the next four years in jail. These are just two of the dozens of people who our justice system has formally acknowledged as having been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. These cases are just the tip of the iceberg, and unlike other countries, Canada doesn’t have a strong, independent mechanism established to examine and help correct wrongful convictions.
That needs to change. Community advocates and justice system actors have been calling for an independent commission to examine possible cases of wrongful convictions and help prevent gross miscarriages of justice.
At the end of last month, CCLA sent in submissions registering our strong support for a strong, independent criminal case review commission. We focused on structural recommendations that would ensure that a commission was independent, effective, and worked to remedy the systemic discrimination that is built into every step of the criminal justice system.
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
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