Attorney General Taking Steps To Help Prevent Wrongful Convictions

25 May 2006

A committee has been established to provide expert leadership in the prevention of wrongful convictions, Attorney General Michael Bryant announced today at the annual spring conference for Ontario Crown Attorneys.

"Public confidence in the administration of justice is strengthened by the justice system's commitment to preventing miscarriages of justice," said Bryant. "This group of experts is looking into the issues involved in specific allegations of wrongful convictions, as well as seeking the best ways to prevent miscarriages of justice over the long term."

The Ontario Criminal Conviction Review Committee (OCCRC) includes six senior Crown counsel from across the province, who represent the appellate, policy and trial perspectives on the issues.

The Committee is being advised by the Honourable Michel Proulx, a former Justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal, defence lawyer and the co-author of a recent book on ethics and Canadian criminal law.

"Mr. Proulx enjoys the respect and confidence of criminal lawyers across the country and is an excellent resource for this Committee," said Bryant.

The Committee is:

- Reviewing criminal convictions where a miscarriage of justice is

alleged, including cases that engage reviews by the federal

Minister of Justice under the Criminal Code

- Providing expert advice and guidance to Crowns across the province

in dealing with some of the difficult issues relating to potential

miscarriages of justice

- Developing educational and policy initiatives aimed at the

prevention of miscarriages of justice

- Developing protocols and best practices for dealing with these

cases and preventing future miscarriages of justice.

The OCCRC builds on the Ministry of the Attorney General's longstanding processes for reviewing each individual case where wrongful conviction is alleged, and taking appropriate steps to ensure justice is served.

Ontario is recognized as a leader in the area of educational and policy development to help prevent miscarriages of justice. Other provincial initiatives relating to the issue of wrongful convictions include:

- Playing a key role in developing the

Federal/Provincial/Territorial Heads of Prosecution Report on the

Prevention of Miscarriages of Justice

- Sharing best practices with other jurisdictions, such as the

international conference on wrongful convictions held in Winnipeg

last fall

- Establishing a special team of Crowns that spent more than a year

putting in place an educational framework on issues of

miscarriages of justice that has served as a model for other

jurisdictions, following from the Commission on Proceedings

Involving Guy Paul Morin

- Implementing a number of Crown policies relating to the restricted