Big Data and Criminal Justice – What Canadians Need to Know

Every Google search, credit card purchase, social media interaction, and doctor’s visit leave traces of information about you, where you’ve been, who you’ve interacted with, and what you like. What’s more, advertisers, data brokers, and government agencies can collect and analyze the digital breadcrumbs you leave behind as you go about your day. Welcome to the world of ‘big data.’

While data-driven technologies may be used for the benefit of individuals and society as a whole, they run an equal risk of entrenching discrimination and
exacerbating various forms of inequality. The realm of criminal justice is no exception; big data has both the potential to infuse fairness into the administration of justice, and, more worryingly, expedite the reproduction of existing biases.

In this Broadbent Institute report we show what ‘big data’ is, how it is used in the context of criminal justice in Canada and beyond, and how we might think about the potential beneficial and detrimental effects of these technologies on our society.

Download the Report

The Charter under assault

Does the current political climate signal the death knell for Charter rights?

Sebastien Thibault

In the weeks after the federal government and all the provinces except Quebec agreed on the terms for a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, many of the stories that were published in major media outlets were less than positive about this significant addition to the Constitution.

The Charter was frequently described as “controversial” in news stories. As well, there were warnings about public safety. A story by the Canadian Press news agency that ran in December 1981 had the headline, “Charter: Criminal’s friend: Mountie.”

A spokesman for “rank-and-file” RCMP officers stated that the Charter would give too much power to the judiciary. “No matter how eminent or learned the appointees of the court may be, the fact remains they are not accountable to the people for their actions,” the spokesman said. “Canadians will no longer be able to assume their streets will remain safe.”

For the most part, the streets have continued to be safe in Canada. What has not declined, however, is skepticism and blame directed at the Charter by politicians, media and various interest groups. Whether it involves the criminal justice system or any other aspect that impacts Canadian society, unaccountable judges is a talking point that is still frequently invoked, nearly 37 years after the Charter came into force in April 1982. MORE