The CCLA will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada today in in J.W. v. R. The CCLA is intervening on the issue of whether the estimated time to complete rehabilitative programming by someone with a mental health condition or cognitive disability can extend the length of their criminal sentence.
Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, said: “A person’s mental health or cognitive disability should not extend the length of their sentence. Doing so would create injustice. It would undermine the proper consideration of the harms of custody on individuals with mental health conditions or cognitive disabilities. And it would overlook the role that government policy and decisions play in determining the adequacy of rehabilitative programming.”
You can read our factum here.
The CCLA thanks Frank Addario and Wes Dutcher-Walls of Addario Law Group LLP for their excellent pro bono representation in this case. We thank Catherine Ouellet of Gowling WLG for their pro bono agent services.
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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