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Biography & Autobiography Criminals & Outlaws

Uncertain Justice

Canadian Women and Capital Punishment, 1754-1953

by (author) F. Murray Greenwood & Beverley Boissery

Publisher
Dundurn Press
Initial publish date
Oct 2000
Category
Criminals & Outlaws, General, General
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781459717817
    Publish Date
    Oct 2000
    List Price
    $8.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781550023442
    Publish Date
    Oct 2000
    List Price
    $22.99

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Description

In 1754 Eleanor Powers was hung for a murder committed during a botched robbery. She was the first woman condemned to die in Canada, but would not be the last.

In Uncertain Justice, Beverley Boissery and Murray Greenwood portray a cast of women characters almost as often wronged by the law as they have wronged society. Starting with the Powers trial and continuing to the not-too-distant past, the authors expose the patriarchal values that lie at the core of criminal law, and the class and gender biases that permeate its procedures and applications.

The writing style is similar to that of a popular mystery: "Harriet Henry lay dead. Horribly and indubitably. Her body sprawled against the bed, the head twisted at a grotesque angle. Foam engulfed the grinning mouth." Scholarly analysis combines with the narrative to make Uncertain Justice a fascinating and engaging read.

There is a wealth of information about the emerging and evolving legal system and profession, the state of forensic science, the roles of juries, and the political turmoil and growing resistance to a purely class-based aristocratic form of government.

About the authors

Dr. F. Murray Greenwood, a Rhodes Scholar and Professor Emeritus (UBC), is the author of numerous scholarly articles and the acclaimed monograph Legacies of Fear. He is the coeditor of the Canadian State Trials Project and is married to Dr. Beverley Boissery, author of A Deep Sense of Wrong (Dundurn Press, 1995). They currently enjoy life at Crescent Beach, B.C.

F. Murray Greenwood's profile page

Dr. Beverley Boissery is a historian and the author of three works of non-fiction: A Deep Sense of Wrong, Uncertain Justice, and Beyond Hope. Her children's novel Sophie's Rebellion was released in 2005 to critical acclaim. Boissery lives in Vancouver with her quiet cat and rambunctious friends.

Beverley Boissery's profile page

Editorial Reviews

This book is an interesting read...it offers compact accounts and an easily digested gender analysis. In the words of one of the authors, Uncertain Justice is written for the non-specialist.

The Advocate

Uncertain Justice is another fine work of serious scholarship...which nonetheless will interest any reader with an historical bent.

Ontario History

The book is highly readable and descriptions are well done.

The Verdict

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