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Law General

The Ordering of Justice

A Study of Accused Persons as Dependants in the Criminal Process

by (author) Patricia Baranek & Richard Ericson

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Jan 1982
Category
General, Criminal Procedure, Courts
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442638532
    Publish Date
    Jan 1982
    List Price
    $35.95
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802064639
    Publish Date
    Jan 1982
    List Price
    $32.90

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Description

From the point of his arrest through to the final disposition of his case, the authors follow the accused as he proceeds through the criminal control system. They draw a picture of one who is dependent upon the orders and decisions of the police, crown attorney, defence lawyer, and judge and not a defendant with significant autonomy.

Substudies conducted under a program of the Centre of Criminology provide empirical material on patrol police, detectives, crown attorneys and defence lawyers and are complemented by the authors’ own interviews of accused persons. They produce a unique picture of the person who stands accused: unlike the official agents who are regular and experienced participants in the criminal process, the accused is a ‘one-shot’ player.

As a dependant he is subject to the orders and decisions of the official criminal control agents; he fails to exercise what appear externally as his formal rights because the apparent costs exceed the advantages. He complies with police searches, fails to remain silent, fails to call a third party, gives a statement, often does not obtain a lawyer, routinely accepts his lawyer’s advice, rarely demands a trial, often remains silent in court, and very rarely considers an appeal.

The ordering which the accused meets out of court is reproduced in the public forum of the court. Through the display of formal legal rationality there and in the belief that matters ‘could have been a lot worse,’ he experiences the ‘majesty, justice, and mercy’ of the criminal process and, in turn, accords legitimacy to the actions taken against him.

The authors discuss prospects for changing the criminal process and conclude that the range of reforms that have been advocated, and sometimes implemented, does not lead to an alteration of the accused’s position within the ordering of justice because the system is not truly adversarial. Rather, it serves the interests of the state in ordering the population as well as professional interests of those who man the system.

About the authors

Patricia M. Baranek has an adjunct position in the Department of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.

Patricia Baranek's profile page

The late Richard V. Ericson was Principal of Green College, University of British Columbia, a centre for interdisciplinary scholarship and graduate education.

Richard Ericson's profile page

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