NCJ Number
173237
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 38 Issue: 4 Dated: October 1996 Pages: 413-438
Date Published
1996
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This article examines enforcement of, and sentencing for, public order crimes involving black offenders in Ontario's criminal justice system in the period 1892 to 1930.
Abstract
Although there has been considerable attention to the different treatment of blacks in the United States criminal justice system, empirical analyses of racial effects on criminal justice outcomes in the Canadian context are comparatively rare. This study used quantitative data collected from jail records for six Ontario cities, supplemented with qualitative data from newspaper reports of criminal court proceedings. Analysis revealed a disproportional police focus on black public order offenders and rare court questioning of police evidence during the study period. In addition, racial minority group offenders tended to experience higher rates of conviction and lengthier sentences for committing such crimes. This disproportional severity was particularly noted in the treatment of black women. These findings held when the possible effects of legal variables such as prior record and offense seriousness were controlled for, and suggest systemic discrimination. Tables, notes, references