Australian Law Reform Commission Report on Reforming Justice Responses to Sexual Violence

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) recently published its report Safe, Informed, Supported: Reforming Justice Responses to Sexual Violence.

From the press release:

"[The Commission] concluded that the justice system is currently failing to meet the twin goals of access to justice and accountability. The justice system is not supporting those who have experienced sexual violence to seek justice, nor holding those who use sexual violence to account (...)"

"In at least some Australian jurisdictions, between 75-85% of reports to police do not proceed to charge, and even fewer reports proceed to court. Once in court, many people report experiencing the justice system as retraumatising."

"The ALRC’s report shines a spotlight on under-engagement with the justice system as the primary issue that needs to be addressed. If people who have experienced sexual violence do not feel sufficiently safe, informed and supported to access and utilise the justice system, the justice system’s critical role in responding to and preventing sexual violence cannot be realised."

Statistics Canada Article on Firearms and Violent Crime

A new article on Firearms and violent crime in Canada, 2023 appeared this week in Juristat, a publication from Statistics Canada.

The article looks at the most recent police-reported data on firearm-related violent crime, including incidents where a firearm was present, as well as the firearm-specific violations of discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and pointing a firearm.

Among the highlights:

• According to police data, there were 14,416 incidents of firearm-related violent crime in 2023, which includes violent crime where a firearm was present, and the firearm-specific violations of discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and pointing a firearm. Firearm-related violent crime accounted for 2.6% of all incidents of violent crime.
• There was a decrease (-1.7%) in the rate of firearm-related violent crime, which went from 37.5 incidents per 100,000 population in 2022 to 36.9 in 2023. In contrast, overall violent crime increased 4.0%.
• Despite the decline in 2023, the rate of firearm-related violent crime was 22% higher compared to 2018 and 55% higher compared to 2013, while overall violent crime was 25% higher since 2018 and 30% higher since 2013.
• Compared to 2022, the overall rate of firearm-related violent crime decreased in the provincial urban south (-6.5%) in 2023, largely driven by declines in Toronto, Calgary, Montréal and Vancouver. All other regions had increases, the largest in the provincial rural south (+19%) and the provincial urban north (+13%).
• In 2023, half (49%) of firearm-related violent crime involved the presence of a handgun, followed by a firearm-like weapon or an unknown type of firearm (31%), a rifle or shotgun (15%) and a fully automatic or sawed-off shotgun (4.7%). In the provinces, handguns were most common in urban areas while rifles or shotguns, and firearm-like weapons or unknown types of firearms, were more common in rural areas.
• The large majority (80%) of incidents of firearm-related violent crime were physical assaults, robberies, and the firearm-specific violations of discharging a firearm with intent, using a firearm in the commission of an offence and pointing a firearm.

New Zealand Law Commission Consultation Paper on Hate Crime

The Law Commission of New Zealand recently published a consultation paper on hate crime.

"This review has its origins in the 15 March 2019 terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain (Muslim places of worship), which claimed the lives of 51 people, leaving 40 people with gunshot injuries. The murder, attempted murder and wounding of these people is a devastating example of a hate crime. It was committed by an individual with extreme right-wing views and lacking in empathy for “those he was able to ‘other’, most particularly Muslim migrants in Western countries”."

"A Royal Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate whether public sector agencies had done all they could to protect the people of Aotearoa New Zealand from terrorist attacks and whether more could be done to prevent attacks in the future (...)"

"In relation to hate crime, the Royal Commission recommended the creation of new hate crime offences. These would impose higher maximum penalties for crimes committed because of an offender’s hostility towards a group of people who have a common characteristic (...)"

"In March 2024, the Minister of Justice asked the Law Commission to review the law relating to hate crime. The Minister asked that we focus our work on whether the law should be changed to create hate crime offences as recommended by the Royal Commission."

The paper also discusses the experience of other jurisdictions, including England and Wales, Scotland and certain states in Australia. 

Newest Episode of Arrêt sur le Droit Podcast from Bar Association of Montreal

Arrêt sur le droit is a French-language podcast whose goal is to help people better understand decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada. 

 It is co-produced by the Bar Association of Montreal and CAIJ (the free legal information portal of the Quebec Bar Association) in collaboration with the Supreme Court of Canada.

The most recent episode deals with the case R. v. Bissonnette, a 2022 Supreme Court of Canada criminal law decision that looked into the constitutionality of a specific sub-section of the Criminal Code that allowed for consecutive life sentences. 

The case arose out of the 2017 mass shooting in a mosque in a Quebec City suburb. 6 worshippers were murdered and five seriously injured by the accused.

Arrêt sur le droit is hosted by Michel Désautels who for years was one of the top current affairs hosts of the public broadcaster Société Radio-Canada. 

Statistics Canada Article on Monetary Penalties in Adult Criminal Courts

Statistics Canada today published an article on Monetary penalties in adult criminal courts:

"Fines were the most frequently ordered monetary penalty for guilty offenders, accounting for 23% of penalties in adult criminal court cases completed during the period from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2023. These were followed by victim surcharge orders (16%) and restitution orders (4%)."

"In the Canadian criminal justice system, restitution, victim surcharges and fines are among the penalties judges can consider when selecting an appropriate sentence for an offender found guilty of the charges laid against them. These monetary penalties require that the offender pay a sum of money to the state or the victim as part of the imposed sentence."

Statistics Canada Data on Homicide Trends

Statistics Canada has published data on Homicide trends in Canada, 2023:

"Homicides remain a relatively rare occurrence in Canada, constituting 0.1% of all police-reported violent crimes in 2023. Despite their low frequency, homicide rates serve as a key indicator of overall societal violence. When considered alongside other measures like violent crime rates and the Violent Crime Severity Index, homicide rates provide a more comprehensive picture of violence trends in Canada."

"In 2023, police services reported 778 homicides across the country, 104 fewer victims than the previous year. As a result, the national homicide rate decreased by 14%, from 2.27 to 1.94 homicides per 100,000 population. Gang-related homicides and intimate partner homicides all experienced declines, contributing to the overall reduction in the national homicide rate. Significant decreases in homicide rates in Canada's three largest census metropolitan areas (CMAs)—Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver—also contributed to the overall reduction. This marks the first time since 2019 that the rate was below two homicides per 100,000 population."

Among the highlights:

• Most provinces recorded decreases in their homicide rates in 2023
• Approximately one-quarter of homicides are gang-related
• Number of youth accused of homicide declined in 2023
• Indigenous peoples continue to be overrepresented as homicide victims
• Nearly one in three homicide victims belong to a racialized group
• Nearly one-third of individuals charged with committing a homicide in the past five years were in custody or under community supervision at the time of the incident
• Women continue to be disproportionately affected by intimate partner homicide

Statistics Canada Article on Outcomes of Sexual Assault Cases

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat has published an article on Criminal justice outcomes of sexual assault in Canada, 2015 to 2019.

It examines the progression of sexual assault incidents through the criminal justice system, from police to courts. It focuses on the characteristics of incidents, victims and accused persons associated with different outcomes at various stages of the process.

Among the highlights:

• Few instances of sexual assault are reported to police, and only a fraction of police-reported sexual assaults result in charges and convictions.
• Between 2015 and 2019, 36% of sexual assaults that were reported to police resulted in charges, of which 61% proceeded to court. Once in court, 48% of cases linked to these incidents resulted in an accused person being found guilty, and 50% of these resulted in a sentence of custody.
• Relative to physical assault, sexual assault was less likely to be reported to police, less likely to result in charges being laid, and less likely to proceed to court once charges were laid. Once in court, the proportion of cases that resulted in a decision of guilt was the same, and those found guilty of sexual assault were more likely to receive a sentence of custody.
• The length of time between an incident occurring and when it was reported to police had a notable impact on attrition at multiple stages of the justice process. The rate at which incidents proceeded to court was lower when there was a delay compared with those that were reported the same day or the day after they occurred.
• Women and girls accounted for the large majority (89%) of victims of police-reported sexual assault between 2015 and 2019. A higher proportion of sexual assaults against women and girls resulted in charges being laid or recommended (38%, versus 29% when the victim was a man or boy). The difference between women and men narrowed at subsequent points of the criminal justice system.
• Over half (54%) of intimate partner sexual assaults resulted in charges being laid or recommended, higher than any other type of accused-victim relationship. The rate of cases continuing to court and the conviction rate of intimate partner sexual assault were consistent with sexual assault more broadly. 
• Sexual assaults committed by a stranger had lower charge rates (28%) but were more likely to continue to court (69%) and result in a guilty decision (56%) relative to sexual assaults where the accused was someone known to the victim.

Statistics Canada Article on Human Trafficking

The Statistics Canada publication The Daily recently published an article on Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2023:

"In 2023, 570 human trafficking incidents were reported to police, a slight decrease from the 597 reported in 2022. There was also a decrease in the rate of human trafficking (1.4 incidents per 100,000 population in 2023 compared with 1.5 in 2022)."

"Human trafficking, also referred to as trafficking in persons, is a serious human rights violation that can occur domestically and transnationally with the crossing of international borders. It is a gendered crime, with most detected victims being women and girls and the majority of accused persons being men and boys. Human trafficking offences involve the recruitment, transportation or harbouring of a person, and they include controlling and influencing movements with the goal of exploiting, or facilitating the exploitation of, a person. Human trafficking can take on many forms, most often sexual exploitation or forced labour."

"Official statistics, while important, provide only a partial picture of human trafficking in Canada due to its hidden and underreported nature. Identifying incidents of human trafficking depends in part on police resources and expertise, as well as victims' ability to recognize and report their experiences with trafficking."

Among the highlights:

• Rates of human trafficking in Nova Scotia and Ontario are higher than national average
• A large majority of police-reported human trafficking incidents were reported in urban centres
• A vast majority of police-reported victims of human trafficking are women and girls and one quarter of victims are minors
• Men make up majority of accused adults, while an equal proportion of girls and boys are among youth accused
• Over half of human trafficking incidents are unsolved

 

Statistics Canada Data on Family Violence and Intimate Partner Violence

Statistics Canada recently released new data tables that describe Trends in police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence in Canada, 2023:

"From 2009—the first year that comparable data are available—to 2014, rates of police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence generally declined from one year to the next. This was followed by several years of gradual increases then relative stability from 2021 to 2022. However, in 2023, family violence increased 3% and intimate partner violence increased 1%."

"From 2018 to 2023, police-reported violent crime increased 20%. Over the same period, overall rates of family violence (+17%) and intimate partner violence (+13%) also rose. Increases were noted regardless of gender, although they were larger for men and boys (+19% for family violence and +20% for intimate partner violence) than for women and girls (+15% for family violence and +12% for intimate partner violence)."

"Despite larger increases having been observed among men and boys since 2018, women and girls remain overrepresented among victims of family violence and intimate partner violence. In 2023, women and girls accounted for two-thirds (68%) of victims of family violence and nearly four in five victims of intimate partner violence (78%). The rate of family violence for women and girls (473 victims per 100,000 population) was twice as high as that for men and boys (220), while the rate of intimate partner violence was nearly four times higher for women and girls (549 victims per 100,000 population) than for men and boys (155)."

"Victims of intimate partner violence may not report their experience to authorities for a variety of reasons, such as the belief that it is a private or personal matter, or a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. It should be noted that some research has shown that men and boys who experience intimate partner violence may be more reluctant to report it to authorities because of the stigma surrounding male victims."

Statistics Canada Article on Police-reported Crime Statistics for 2023

Statistics Canada has published an article on Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2023 that shows an increase in the volume and severity of police-reported crime for the third consecutive year:

"The volume and severity of police-reported crime in Canada, as measured by the Crime Severity Index (CSI), increased for the third consecutive year—up 2% in 2023—an upward trend that began in 2015. Relatively large shifts in certain types of crime led to an increase in the Non-violent CSI, while the Violent CSI remained virtually unchanged."

"The Non-violent CSI—which includes, for example, property offences and drug offences—rose 3% in 2023, following a 5% increase in 2022. A significant contributor to the 2023 increase was a higher rate of police-reported child pornography (+52%)."

"Increased reporting of child pornography was partially the result of more cases—current and historical—being forwarded to local police services by specialized provincial Internet child exploitation police units and the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre."

"Other types of non-violent crime also increased in 2023, including fraud (+12%), shoplifting ($5,000 or under; +18%), and motor vehicle theft (+5%). In contrast, breaking and entering dropped 5% from 2022, continuing a general downward trend in this crime since the 1990s."

"The Violent CSI remained virtually unchanged (+0.4%) in 2023, following a 13% cumulative increase over the previous two years. Compared with 2022, the Violent CSI recorded lower rates of homicide (-14%) and sexual violations against children (-10%) in 2023. The Violent CSI also recorded higher rates of extortion (+35%), robbery (+4%) and assault committed with a weapon or causing bodily harm (+7%)."

"The CSI is one of several measures of crime in Canada. It looks at both the volume and the severity of crime, while the conventional crime rate measures only the volume of crime."

Recent Government of Canada Publications from the Weekly Acquisitions List

The Government of Canada's Weekly Acquisitions List can be a great way to discover new research reports published by various public bodies and agencies of the federal government. 

It is a record of all publications catalogued in the previous week.

Some of the documents in the most recent list include:

• How to identify misinformation, disinformation and malinformation (Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity)
• Child Support Practices in Canada: Results from the 2022 National Family Law Surveys (Justice Canada)
• Hate Crimes and Incidents in Canada (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
• Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy:  Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss in Canada (Environment and Climate Change Canada)

New South Wales Law Reform Commission Paper on Racial and Religious Vilification

The Law Reform Commission in the Australian state of New South Wales has issued a so-called options paper on serious racial and religious vilification.

It is part of a consultation on the effectiveness of section 93Z of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) in addressing serious racial and religious vilification in the state. 

The paper briefly outlines some of the options for reform of s 93Z.

That section makes it an offence for a person, by public act, to intentionally or recklessly threaten or incite violence towards another person or a group of persons on any of the following grounds: race; religious belief or affiliation; sexual orientation; gender identity; intersex status; or HIV or AIDS status.

Justice Canada Research Digest on Victims of Crime

Justice Canada regularly publishes the Victims of crime research digest. 

It is an annual publication featuring short articles.

The 2024 edition is now available:

"Welcome to the 17th issue of the Victims of Crime Research Digest!"

(...)

"The goal of the Digest is to make research about victims of crime and the criminal justice system accessible to a wide audience, using short articles and clear language. In this issue, we are pleased to include extensive reference lists with several of the articles. These will be great tools for readers who are interested in reading more and diving into more detail on the topics discussed."

"The first article, “Victim-Centred Restorative Justice: Program Design and Implementation“ by Patricia Hughes, looks at how the practice of restorative justice has evolved over the past few decades in Canada and worldwide into a more victim-centred approach to better address victims’ needs. The second article, “Accessing Justice for Victims and Survivors of Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence,” by Susan McDonald, reports on the development of several Independent Legal Advice and Independent Legal Representation projects funded by the Department of Justice Canada. Through a series of qualitative interviews, McDonald examines how these projects are making a difference for victims and survivors. In the third article, “A Brief Overview of Coercive Control and the Criminal Law”, Lisa Ha summarizes the research on and evaluations of coercive control legislation in other jurisdictions, such as England and Wales, Scotland, and Australia. In the final article, Bianca Stumpf summarizes the findings from the 2023 Child Advocacy Centre/Child and Youth Advocacy Centre Operational Survey."

The publication appeared in the most recent Government of Canada's Weekly Acquisitions List. It is a record of all documents published by various public bodies and agencies of the federal government that were catalogued in the previous week.

Statistics Canada Article on Police Clearance Rates for Sexual Assault

Juristat, a publication produced by Statistics Canada, has published an article on Recent trends in police-reported clearance status of sexual assault and other violent crime in Canada, 2017 to 2022.

Prior to 2018, criminal incidents were recorded by police as unfounded when there was not enough corroborating evidence.

As of 2018, incidents were recorded as "founded" (the reported incidents had in fact occurred) unless there is evidence demonstrating that incidents had not taken place.

The article looks at trends following the implementation of revised coding practices which are intended to be more victim-centric.

The article found that 14% of all reported incidents of sexual assault were classified by police as unfounded in 2017, which dropped to 7% in 2022. This pattern was similar for other selected types of violent crime.

The number of incidents of sexual assault cleared by charge increased between 2017 and 2022. However, because of the increase in the number of founded and uncleared incidents of sexual assault, the proportion of incidents of sexual assault that were cleared by charge decreased from 34% to 31% during this period.

Recent Government of Canada Publications from the Weekly Acquisitions List

The Government of Canada's Weekly Acquisitions List can be a great way to discover new research reports published by various public bodies and agencies of the federal government. 

It is a record of all publications catalogued in the previous week.

The most recent list had a few documents that attracted my attention:

• Organized crime involvement in vehicle theft in Canada (Criminal Intelligence Service Canada)
• Every voice counts: Anti-racist transformation from the inside out (Canadian Human Rights Commission)
• Evaluation of the British Columbia Exemption to Allow for Personal Possession of Small Amounts of Illegal Drugs (Canadian Institutes of Health Research)
• Indigenous Mobility and Canada’s International Borders: Reflecting back and looking forward (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada)

Recent Library of Parliament Legislative Summaries

The Library of Parliament in Ottawa has recently published a number of legislative summaries of important federal bills.

Among them are:

• Legislative Summary of Bill C-56: An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act: "Bill C-56, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act (short title: Affordable Housing and Groceries Act), was introduced in the House of Commons on 21 September 2023 by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and received first reading that same day. The bill was passed by both chambers of Parliament after being amended in the House of Commons, and it received Royal Assent on 15 December 2023. Bill C-56 has two parts: Part 1 amends the Excise Tax Act (ETA) to temporarily enhance the Goods and Services Tax (GST) new residential rental property rebate in respect of new purpose-built rental housing. Part 2 amends the Competition Act to promote competition, particularly in the grocery sector. This legislative summary provides a brief description of the key amendments contained in Bill C-56."
• Legislative Summary of Bill C-48: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bail reform): "Bill C-48 makes changes to Canada’s Criminal Code ... provisions concerning judicial interim release, also known as bail. It adds to existing “reverse onus” provisions that shift the prosecutor’s burden of demonstrating why an accused person should be held in detention pending trial onto the accused, who instead must demonstrate to the judge or justice of the peace that there is no reason warranting their detention. These amendments are in response to concerns raised by various stakeholders about crimes being committed by repeat violent offenders, in particular those who use firearms. These reverse onus amendments apply to accused persons who were previously convicted of a violent offence and are subsequently charged with violent offences or offences involving firearms, knives, bear spray or other weapons. The bill also proposes changes to address the risks posed by intimate partner violence, particularly when committed by repeat offenders. It adds considerations a justice must take into account during bail decisions regarding community safety and security concerns."
• Legislative Summary of Bill S-15: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act: "The bill creates various Criminal Code offences in relation to elephants and great apes, including: possessing, breeding or impregnating elephants or great apes in captivity; possessing an elephant or great ape that is kept in captivity and failing to take reasonable measures to prevent natural breeding; and participating in any activities that involve elephants or great apes kept in captivity being used for entertainment purposes."

Statistics Canada Article on Police-Reported Online Child Sexual Exploitation

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat today published an article on Online child sexual exploitation: A statistical profile of police-reported incidents in Canada, 2014 to 2022:

"The Internet has become an integral part of life for most Canadians, with an estimated 99% of households having access ...While increased accessibility to the Internet has provided society with limitless opportunities for enhancing daily life, concerns related to online safety—particularly for children and youth—have emerged."

"Advancements in technology have changed the ways that perpetrators lure and groom their victims. For example, increased accessibility to—and use of—smartphones among children and youth has made it easier for offenders to communicate with potential victims through online chatrooms and social media platforms. As digital technologies continue to evolve, there are increased opportunities for committing Internet-related crimes, including online child sexual exploitation ..."

Among the highlights of the article:

• Between 2014 and 2022, there were 15,630 incidents of police-reported online sexual offences against children and 45,816 incidents of online child pornography.
• Making or distributing child pornography accounted for almost three-quarters (72%) of all incidents of child pornography between 2014 and 2022, with possessing or accessing child pornography accounting for the remaining 28% of incidents. The rate of online child pornography increased 290% between 2014 and 2022.
• Girls were overrepresented as victims for all offence types over the nine-year period. The majority of victims of police-reported online sexual offences against children were girls, particularly girls between the ages of 12 and 17 (71% of all victims).
• Incidents of non-consensual distribution of intimate images most often involved a youth victim and a youth accused. Nearly all (97%) child and youth victims between 2015 to 2022 were aged 12 to 17 years. Nine in ten (90%) accused persons were youth aged 12 to 17. For one-third (33%) of youth victims, a casual acquaintance shared the victim’s intimate images with others.

Recent Government of Canada Publications from the Weekly Acquisitions List

The Government of Canada's Weekly Acquisitions List can be a great way to discover new research reports published by various public bodies and agencies of the federal government. 

It is a record of all publications catalogued in the previous week.

The most recent list had a few documents that attracted my attention:

• Applying R v Gladue : the use of Gladue reports and principles: "In 1996, section 718.2(e) was added to the Criminal Code, which introduced the principle of restraint in the use of imprisonment during sentencing with particular attention to the circumstances of Indigenous offenders ... The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), in 1999, first interpreted section 718.2(e) in R v Gladue.⁠ Through this case, the SCC clarified that judges need to consider the unique systemic factors which may have played a part in bringing an Indigenous offender before the courts. To support courts in applying what are now considered Gladue sentencing principles in their decision-making, judges require relevant information about the Indigenous offender before the court. This information can be provided through comprehensive Gladue reports, which include information about an Indigenous person’s background and experiences with colonization, intergenerational trauma, racism, and discrimination ...This study was undertaken by the Department of Justice Canada to better understand how Gladue reports are being prepared across the country and how they and Gladue principles are being considered by the courts."
• National risk profile : a national emergency preparedness and awareness tool: "The National Risk Profile (NRP) is Canada’s first strategic, national-level risk assessment. This report is based on input and evidence from whole-of-society stakeholders across Canada, and provides a foundation for understanding disaster risk from the three costliest hazards facing Canadians: earthquakes, wildland fire, and floods. It aims to broaden public awareness of disaster risk, identify gaps in the Canadian emergency management system at a national-level and provide evidence to support existing federal risk assessment and climate change adaptation efforts."
• Canada Centre 2023 conference on countering radicalization to violence : what to measure, how to prevent: "At a time of converging drivers and vulnerabilities that are propelling extreme, grievancefueled forms of violence, Public Safety's Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence (Canada Centre) designed its fourth international conference on countering radicalization to violence (CRV) around the theme of ‘What to measure, how to prevent.’ The idea was to emphasize the importance of research, evaluation, and knowledge exchange between experts and practitioners for adapting prevention to this complex environment.  What follows are select highlights, with further detail about particular sessions and presentations available from the Canada Centre upon request."
• ArriveCAN : independent auditor's report: "Overall, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Public Services and Procurement Canada repeatedly failed to follow good management practices in the contracting, development, and implementation of the ArriveCAN application. As a result of the many gaps and weaknesses we found in the project’s design, oversight, and accountability, it did not deliver the best value for taxpayer dollars spent. The enduring benefit of the ArriveCAN application is that it remains available for customs and immigration declarations. As of October 2022, ArriveCAN is no longer used to collect travellers’ contact and health information."

Statistics Canada Report on Quality of Life in High Hate Crime Areas

Statistics Canada recently published a report showing that areas with high rates of hate crime also report lower scores on quality of life indicators:

"The total police-reported hate crime rate in 2022 across Canada was 9.2 incidents per 100,000 population, almost double the rate of 5.2 in 2019. The increasing trend in the number of hate crimes in Canada has provoked interest in exploring the social impacts and trends possibly associated with hate crimes (...)"

"Individuals subjected to hate crimes based on their race, ethnicity, religion, or a similar characteristic may experience heightened psychological distress. This is because such incidents represent an assault on a fundamental part of the victim's personal identity."

"Overall, at the community level, the percentage of people self-reporting positive mental health was lower among those living in a city that was a HHCA than those living in cities with lower rates of hate crime. This was true for both men and women. All told, 49% of men and 43% of women in HHCAs [High Hate Crime Areas] reported positive mental health, compared with 54% of men and 46% of women in cities with lower hate crime rates. It should be noted that regardless of hate crime rates, men were more likely to report positive mental health (54%) than women (44%)."

"In HHCA cities, racialized people were less likely to report positive mental health (44%) than non-racialized people (51%). On the other hand, in cities with relatively low rates of hate crime, racialized people were more likely to report positive mental health (51%) than non-racialized people (49%)."

Recent Justice-Related Documents from the Government of Canada

The Government of Canada's Weekly Acquisitions List can be a great way to discover new research reports published by various public bodies and agencies of the federal government. It is a record of all publications catalogued in the previous week.

Here are a few recent additions of justice-related documents:

• Child to parent violence and aggression : reviewing the research: "Child-to-parent violence and aggression (CPVA) is described as a form of family violence characterized by a pattern (as opposed to a single incident) of violent and aggressive behaviours in children and youth Footnote1 towards their parents or primary caregivers. These behaviours may have several consequences, including: triggering fear, grief, and other emotions; experiencing a loss of control; negatively impacting both individual and family well-being; and generating new behaviours in parents, siblings and other family members or caregivers in order to avoid physical violence or verbal altercations (...) This report synthesizes the findings of a scoping review that resulted in 162 peer-reviewed articles on CPVA that were published between January 2009 and March 2022 as well as an analysis of statistical information on victims (parents or siblings) of youth violence in Canada between 2009 and 2021."
• Perceptions of the Canadian youth criminal justice system : key findings from the 2022 National Justice Survey: "The National Justice Survey (NJS) is a public opinion research survey that is administered on an annual basis to explore the perceptions and knowledge of justice-related issues of people living in Canada. Findings from this survey are used to inform policy and program development. This report focuses on youth justice-related issues and examines respondents’ perceptions and knowledge of the youth criminal justice system (YCJS)."
• Understanding family violence in diverse communities : what subject-matter experts think family law legal advisers should know: "This report summarizes five thought papers written by subject-matter experts to assist family law legal advisers in identifying and responding to family violence in diverse communities. The thought papers focused on the following population groups: racialized groups; 2SLGBTQI+ individuals; Muslim communities; newcomers; and people with disabilities."
• Experiences of Indigenous families in the family justice system : a literature review and perspectives from legal and frontline family justice professionals: "This report aims to contribute to the understanding of the experiences of Indigenous families (specifically, unmarried or married couples with children) dealing with separation and divorce, who are going through the family justice system (FJS). This includes both identifying needs specific to Indigenous people going through the mainstream FJS and developing a better understanding of Indigenous approaches to resolving family conflicts. This preliminary information will help to identify specific challenges faced by and opportunities available for Indigenous families going through separation and divorce, and those who work with them. The research can inform future efforts to respond more effectively to the needs of Indigenous families and communities, as well as opportunities to welcome more effectively the gifts of Indigenous Knowledge Keepers through subsequent policy development, consultation, and research activities in relation to family law and family justice."