Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial

Based on first-hand interviews with survivors, people who have committed offences, and others on the frontlines, Indictment puts the Canadian criminal justice system on trial and proposes a bold new vision of transformative justice. 　 #MeToo. Black Lives Matter. Decriminalize Drugs. No More Stolen Sisters. Stop Stranger Attacks. Do we need more cops or to defund the police? Harm reduction or treatment? Tougher sentences or prison abolition? The debate about Canada’s criminal justice system has rarely been so polarized – or so in need of fresh ideas. Indictment brings the heartrending and captivating stories of survivors and people who have committed offences to the forefront to help us understand why the criminal justice system is facing such an existential crisis. Benjamin Perrin draws on his expertise as a lawyer, former top criminal justice advisor to the prime minister, and law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada to investigate the criminal justice system itself. Indictment critiques the system from a trauma-informed perspective, examining its treatment of victims of crime, Indigenous people and Black Canadians, people with substance use and mental health disorders, and people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and unemployment. Perrin also shares insights from others on the frontlines, including prosecutors and defence lawyers, police chiefs, Indigenous leaders, victim support workers, corrections officers, public health experts, gang outreach workers, prisoner and victims’ rights advocates, criminologists, psychologists, and leading trauma experts. Bringing forward the voices of marginalized people, along with their stories of survival and resilience, Indictment shows that a better way is possible.

Table of Contents:
1. "It Looked like Madness": Trauma Part 1: The Criminal Justice System on Trial 2. "Set Up to Fail": Criminalizing People Who Use Substances 3. "From Protectors to Villains": Mental Health, Poverty & Homelessness 4. "Justice Is Not Blind": Indigenous Peoples 5. "Thrown in with the Wolves": Incarcerating Indigenous People 6. "The Usual Suspects": Anti-Black Racism 7. "An Alien System of Law": Suppression of Indigenous Justice 8. "Nobodies": Victims of Crime 9. "Do No Harm or Injustice": Secondary Victimization 10. "Perfectly Designed" Part 2: A New Vision for Criminal Justice 11. A New Vision 12. Healthy Kids and Communities: Preventing Childhood Trauma and Investing in Social Determinants of Justice 13. Decriminalizing People: Public Health Approaches to Substances, Mental Health, Poverty, and Homelessness 14. Transforming Trauma: Holistic Support for People Who Were Harmed and Caused Harm 15. Real Safety: Mobile 24/7 Non-Police Responses 16. Peacemaking and Accountability: Restorative Justice as the Primary Approach to Resolving Conflict 17. Rehabilitation and Healing: Abolition of Traditional Prisons and Jails 18. Indigenous Justice 19. "New and Better Stories" Acknowledgments Methodology Content Notes Mental Health and Counselling Resources for Readers Notes Index

About the Author :
Benjamin Perrin is a professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. He has served in the Prime Minister’s Office as in-house legal counsel and lead policy advisor on criminal justice and public safety. He was also a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada. He is the author of Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis.