B.C.’s criminal justice system among worst in Canada: Perrin and Audas – Times-Colonist

British Columbia’s criminal justice system ranks among the worst in the country. It’s a shocking realization, and the data show things are only getting worse. Provincial leaders need to act now to begin reforms.

In the latest Report Card on the Criminal Justice System we have produced for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, B.C. dropped to 10th place (from eighth place) among the 13 provinces and territories in our rankings. Most alarming are the trends around public safety in B.C., as well as fairness in the system and access to justice. For a large, wealthy province, this is really astounding.

British Columbia’s criminal justice system significantly underperformed most provinces on many measures, giving it a C+ grade overall as the second worst-ranked province after Manitoba. It ranked especially poor for low rates of police solving crime, mediocre public perceptions of the police, justice system and courts, low levels of criminal legal aid, and disproportionately high rates of sending Indigenous people to prison.

Read More: https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/b-c-s-criminal-justice-system-among-worst-canada-perrin-audas-times-colonist/