Hope for murderers? Lifelong incarceration in Canada
Date
2016-11-22
Authors
Spencer, Matthew Derek
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Abstract
This thesis explores the issue of lifelong incarceration in the Canadian context. Lifelong incarceration, defined as a criminal sentence which forecloses hope of prospective release from its outset, is a new sentencing option in Canada, only possible after legislative amendments enacted in 2011. Sentencing for murder in Canada is examined from a historical and comparative point of view to contextualize the issue of lifelong incarceration. An interdisciplinary approach is also used, drawing on the field of psychology to explore the meaning and importance of hope. I argue that all sentences in Canada should leave an offender with hope of prospective release. My argument situates hope within the principles of sentencing law codified in s. 718 of the Criminal Code as well as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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Keywords
Lifelong incarceration