SOC346H5 Lecture Notes - Mens Rea, Convenience Store, Forum Shopping
Document Summary
Less than 10 judges actually been kicked out since 1971. Reluctance; canadian judicial counsel exercise their powers in limited way. Judges not allowed to discuss decisions they make (i. e. cannot be interviewed by media) Prohibited from expressing personal opinion about any major social issues; concern is that this may lead to perceptions of bias. Judges must be independent so they are not influenced by external sources that can affect their sentence. He was a teacher by profession lost his teaching license after being found guilty: public grievously to think that a man trusted with educating youth would do this. Public attitudes to sentencing in canada stability in public attitudes towards sentencing severity: 74% too lenient, 23% about right, 2% too strict/punitive. **could be a result of limited options (in terms of number of boxes) that are provided in survey research. Belief that judicial leniency is responsible for crime.
