599 Wrongful Convictions (Ampleman-Tremblay)

LAW599

Wrongful Convictions

(Ampleman-Tremblay)

Prerequisite courses: 

Prerequisite for:

Instructor(s): Professor Sandrine Ampleman-Tremblay

Course credit: 3

Method of presentation: Lecture/seminar/other

METHOD OF EVALUATION

Final Research Paper (60%)

Participation (20%)

Personal Reflection 1 (10%)

Personal Reflection 2 (10%)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will discuss why wrongful convictions occur in Canadian criminal law. The seminar will cover Canadian law, social science and scientific evidence or phenomena, as well as comparative examples when appropriate. More precisely, the seminar will examine the role of different actors within and outside the justice system, including the police, witnesses, prosecutors, defence lawyers, juries, courts, experts, and the public opinion. The seminar will also explore how wrongful convictions have affected some groups, including Indigenous peoples and women, and discuss the reasons behind such convictions. The course will end with an examination of past and future reforms and identification of areas of criminal law that may lead to wrongful or "unjust" convictions.

Trigger warning: some of the content may be difficult to read/discuss.

SPECIAL COMMENTS

This seminar is not based on experimental learning. Please view 589 Wrongful Convictions (Beresh) for an experiential course.

Description updated 2024-25. Please contact the instructor for any specific questions you may have related to this particular course section.

REQUIRED TEXTS (IF ANY):

TBD