You may be aware of names like David Milgaard, Steven Truscott, Guy Paul Morin, Romeo Phillion, and many more. But the details around their wrongful convictions under Canadian law are not well known. Guilty As Charged is about to change that.
The astonishing, true portrayals covered in this book reveal innocent men and women struggling with unjust sentences while many of them languish in jail. Their powerful stories reveal how blame-free inmates, faced with the prospect of their lives deteriorating behind bars, were forced to plead guilty as their best option. You’ll see how some prisoners tried to fight a justice system that makes it challenging even to be heard. And you’ll learn about the disgraced doctor whose shocking, controversial medical claims sent several innocent citizens to penitentiaries when they should never have been there. (He was finally found out and stripped of his medical licence.)
Wrongful convictions in Canada are more than accidents – they are symptoms of systemic failure. In Guilty As Charged! you’ll discover recurring patterns of flawed evidence and institutional pressure that demonstrate how justice can go terribly wrong. You’ll meet individuals who have paid a tragic price, being put on trial for crimes they did not commit. You’ll read about the accused, the forgotten and the relentless truth-seekers who connect the dots between isolated tragedies and justice undone. And you’ll see how some loved ones of those wrongfully accused refused to give up on exposing the deception they were made to live with.
Guilty As Charged! also uncovers the shattered relationships that all too often follow imprisonment. People being charged with crimes they didn’t commit end up facing a harsh world outside of prison, from broken families and ruptured communities, to companies that state “We don’t hire criminals”. No matter that they are eventually proven innocent, they are still seen as “bad” people.
Their voices demand that we see not just errors in law, but human beings in pain.
"I'm very proud of Guilty As Charged," says author Peter Jennings. "It will bring you up to date with the facts on why wrongful convictions occur. And I hope it will enrage readers about wrongful convictions, as it has me."
The astonishing, true portrayals covered in this book reveal innocent men and women struggling with unjust sentences while many of them languish in jail. Their powerful stories reveal how blame-free inmates, faced with the prospect of their lives deteriorating behind bars, were forced to plead guilty as their best option. You’ll see how some prisoners tried to fight a justice system that makes it challenging even to be heard. And you’ll learn about the disgraced doctor whose shocking, controversial medical claims sent several innocent citizens to penitentiaries when they should never have been there. (He was finally found out and stripped of his medical licence.)
Wrongful convictions in Canada are more than accidents – they are symptoms of systemic failure. In Guilty As Charged! you’ll discover recurring patterns of flawed evidence and institutional pressure that demonstrate how justice can go terribly wrong. You’ll meet individuals who have paid a tragic price, being put on trial for crimes they did not commit. You’ll read about the accused, the forgotten and the relentless truth-seekers who connect the dots between isolated tragedies and justice undone. And you’ll see how some loved ones of those wrongfully accused refused to give up on exposing the deception they were made to live with.
Guilty As Charged! also uncovers the shattered relationships that all too often follow imprisonment. People being charged with crimes they didn’t commit end up facing a harsh world outside of prison, from broken families and ruptured communities, to companies that state “We don’t hire criminals”. No matter that they are eventually proven innocent, they are still seen as “bad” people.
Their voices demand that we see not just errors in law, but human beings in pain.
"I'm very proud of Guilty As Charged," says author Peter Jennings. "It will bring you up to date with the facts on why wrongful convictions occur. And I hope it will enrage readers about wrongful convictions, as it has me."
“Can you imagine if we had the death penalty
in this country? We would have been
executing innocent people.”
Irwin Cotler, Former Attorney General of Canada
“It's very difficult to establish that someone
has been wrongfully convicted. The system
doesn't make it easy for you to do that.
The system tends to fight you all the way.”
James Lockyer, lawyer/founding director, Innocence Canada
“You die a little bit each day that you
spend in a penitentiary, especially
when you have not committed the
crime you’re there for. This can
happen to you!”
One of the “lifers” revealed in the book.
“Imagine knowing that you
are innocent, but you plead guilty anyway
because that seems like the best option.”
Steve Paikin, TV Host, The Agenda
“It's unbelievable what these people
have had to experience!
Hard to believe this happens in Canada.”
A Beta reader
in this country? We would have been
executing innocent people.”
Irwin Cotler, Former Attorney General of Canada
“It's very difficult to establish that someone
has been wrongfully convicted. The system
doesn't make it easy for you to do that.
The system tends to fight you all the way.”
James Lockyer, lawyer/founding director, Innocence Canada
“You die a little bit each day that you
spend in a penitentiary, especially
when you have not committed the
crime you’re there for. This can
happen to you!”
One of the “lifers” revealed in the book.
“Imagine knowing that you
are innocent, but you plead guilty anyway
because that seems like the best option.”
Steve Paikin, TV Host, The Agenda
“It's unbelievable what these people
have had to experience!
Hard to believe this happens in Canada.”
A Beta reader
We like to say our Canadian justice system is one of the best in the world.
But for people who’ve been imprisoned for serious crimes
they had nothing to do with, you’ll likely get a different story.
But for people who’ve been imprisoned for serious crimes
they had nothing to do with, you’ll likely get a different story.
