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How the Canadian sentencing system impacts policy reform: An examination of the Harper era
Author(s) -
Puddister Kate
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
law and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.534
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1467-9930
pISSN - 0265-8240
DOI - 10.1111/lapo.12163
Subject(s) - scrutiny , context (archaeology) , criminal justice , government (linguistics) , political science , public administration , reform act , economic justice , policy analysis , criminology , sociology , law , history , linguistics , philosophy , archaeology
During the Harper era (2006–2015), the Canadian government actively pursued criminal justice policy reform. Many of its efforts focused on reforming the Canadian sentencing regime by increasing the severity of penalties, including expanding mandatory minimums. Yet, Canada's rate of incarceration remains stable. The inconsistency between the considerable focus on sentencing policy by the Harper government and the lack of significant change in incarceration rates merits further scrutiny. This contrast between policy effort and policy impact also presents an opportunity to examine how the context of criminal justice policy in Canada influences the nature of policy reform. Taking up this focus, this article articulates the context of Canadian criminal justice policy and considers how this context shapes the policymaking process and policy reform.