Lessons from Remand

In 2008, Mark Stobbe was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder. After the jail door clanged shut behind him, he carefully listened to his fellow inmates and watched the functioning of the two Remand Centres in which he was imprisoned. Using theories from sociology and psychology, he interprets these observations to create some fascinating insights into Canada's jail system. Now that he has been acquitted of the murder charge against him, he is free to share these findings. This book offers a rare perspective on the world behind the barred windows and provides a fascinating example of how academic theories can be applied in a practical way to make sense of an otherwise inexplicable situation.

About the Author :
Mark Stobbe was a senior communications official with the Government of Manitoba when his wife, Beverley Rowbotham, was brutally murdered in October of 2000. Eight years later, he was charged with second-degree murder. After spending close to two months incarcerated, he was released on bail until his trial began in the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench. On March 29, 2012, he was acquitted by a jury of his peers. He studied sociology at the University of Saskatchewan and McMaster University. He is the co-author of Devine Rule in Saskatchewan: A Decade of Hope and Hardship (with Leslie Biggs). He now lives in Saskatoon with two sons.

Review :
""Lessons from Remand" brings the reader into a place most people would rather not go, and yet anyone could--the limbo of prison before trial. Suddenly the reader has the uncomfortable sense of what it means to be locked in a cage, curled up on the floor beside the toilet, with two possibly menacing strangers just inches away. Worse, one has very little idea of how long one might be there. Theories about the meaning and effects of imprisonment seem very abstract, but this book does a masterful job of making them matter, testing them against personal experiences and observations." --Jessie Horner Instructor, Criminology Department, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and author of "Canadian Law and the Canadian Legal System" "Freedom from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment is one of our basic human rights as Canadians. However, lengthy delays in bringing accused to trial and changes in the way bail is granted have been dramatically increasing the number of Canadians who are in jail without being convicted of any crime. Like you, Mark Stobbe thought that he would never be incarcerated, but he was. He used his time behind bars to watch, listen, and learn. Now that he has been acquitted of the charge against him, he is sharing the knowledge he acquired while on remand. This book is a fascinating and eye-opening read." --Milton Woodard, QC, Member of the Saskatchewan Bar for 36 years "Mark Stobbe presents a fascinating account of his pretrial detention experience, and he provides insights that should prompt serious thought about much needed reform to this part of the Canadian criminal justice system." --Catherine Latimer, Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Canada