Despite living in an era of decreasing crime rates, Canadians express concern over crime and push politicians to respond in increasingly punitive ways. Canadians also express little confidence in their justice system. The result is that Canada’s response to crime can be both disproportionate and ineffective.
In this book, I challenge the popular perception that crime in Canada is on the rise and argue that public opinion is becoming a bigger barrier to achieving justice than the actual extent of crime. Using the most current data available, my research reveals how Canada can better assess the effectiveness of crime control policies, as well as its responses to crime, while promoting democratic values such as equity and accountability.
Crime in Canada is one of the first publications to use case studies to evaluate the options available for addressing crime in Canada.