In this episode Trevor speaks with Ontario lawyer and Crown Counsel, Andrew Pilla, about Canada's Bail System. Topics discussed include: Why we have bail, the purpose of bail, the important distinction between bail design and bail deployment, the importance of criticism in the evolution of bail and the justice system, human decision-making vs algorithms, the concept of bail “dead time”, what role if any rehabilitation should play at the bail stage, and bail conditions.

In this episode, Trevor speaks with lawyer and law professor, Jillian Rogin, about Canada's system of pre-trial detention and bail. Topics discussed include, judicial interim release, pre-trial detention, the "dangerous few", R. v. Gladue, why some are more likely to be denied bail than others, bail as a "low law" proceeding, the origins of bail, the use of sureties, grounds for denying bail, differences in how bail is applied across Canada, the efficacy of court imposed conditions, policing, colonialism and racism, restorative justice, and a need to listen to vulnerable populations.

In this episode, Trevor speaks with researcher, scholar, and retired police officer, Kerry Watkins, about topics related to investigative interviewing. Topics discussed include, how Kerry came to focus on investigative interviewing, why police officers should pay attention to interviewing research, collaboration between researchers and police officers, the importance of rapport and discretion in interviewing, police training, the direction of interviewing in Canada, the Reid Interview technique, the PEACE model, distinguishing between police manipulation and persuasion, the strategic use of evidence in interviewing, false confessions, and whether a gap exists between science and jurisprudence.

In this episode Trevor speaks with with lawyer and jury scholar Marie Comiskey about juries and juror comprehension. Topics discussed include, whether we are doing enough to equip jurors with the knowledge to make informed decisions, the purpose of jury instructions, the use of standard or model instructions in Canada, the challenge of drafting instructions that achieve legal accuracy while maintaining clarity, the challenges of studying jury comprehension in Canada, designing model instructions to help improve juror comprehension, the use of jury aids like juror note-taking, preliminary instructions, and decision trees, and discussing Marie's doctoral research examining the comprehensibility of model instructions and effectiveness of specific jury aids.

In this episode Trevor speaks with lawyer, researcher, and lecturer Vincent Denault, about the use of non-verbal cues in deception detection and credibility assessments in Canada’s Criminal Justice System. Topics discussed include the use of science in court rooms, the dangers of pseudo science, the relationship between science and the law, the importance of non-verbal cues and behaviour in effective communication, the problem of applying research from investigative interviews to court room testimony, the difference between veracity and credibility, and the importance of collaboration and open-mindedness in improving our justice system.

In this episode Trevor speaks with Mark Benton, Q.C., CEO of Legal Aid BC. Topics discussed include, defining legal aid, the services generally provided by legal aid, the general importance or legal aid and access to justice, legal aid eligibility and the rationale behind these eligibility requirements, the percentage of people receiving legal aid in BC, the underfunding of legal aid, the importance of early intervention in the criminal justice process, the role legal aid can play in addressing systemic issues of colonialism in our justice system, and the future of access to justice and legal aid in BC.

Although the legal aid situation in BC informed this conversation, the principles and information discussed are applicable to provincial legal aid models throughout Canada.

In this interview, Trevor speaks with wrongful conviction exoneree, educator, lawyer, and criminal justice reform advocate, Jeffrey Deskovic. Trevor and Jeff discuss his wrongful conviction, his background and upbringing, the murder of his classmate, interactions with police, interrogation and coerced confession, his time spent in jail, strategies he employed to survive jail and not lose hope, his exoneration, and his efforts now as a lawyer and advocate to avoid wrongful convictions.

In this interview, Trevor speaks with Dr. Ryan Fitzgerald, professor of forensic psychology and law at Simon Fraser University about topics related to eyewitness identification, police line-ups, and memory. Other areas covered include: photo packs, the accuracy of memory generally, changes in memory as we age, how memory can lead us astray, the challenges of identifying criminals, the purpose of police-line-ups and photo packs, the different versions of the lineup procedure, the challenges of administering an appropriate lineup, and the best practices to incorporate when using lineups.

In this Interview, Trevor speaks with Andrew Pilla and Levi Vandersteen about the right to be tried within a reasonable time and the Charter remedy available for when this right is violated. The discussion focuses on the landmark decision of R. v. Jordan and Andrew and Levi’s 2019 article titled “Re-Charting the Remedial Course for Section 11(b) Violations Post-Jordan.” Topics discussed include the Jordan framework generally, how an automatic stay came to be viewed as the only appropriate remedy in an 11(b) violation, why a delay may not always immediately prejudice or harm the accused, and their proposed remedial framework which balances the rights of the accused with the societal interest of proceeding with a trial on its merits.

Andrew and Levi are both crown attorneys in Ontario. Their views and opinions do not represent the views held by the Ministry of Attorney General for Ontario.

In this interview Trevor speaks with Director of the UBC Innocence Project, Tamara Levy Q.C. This interview will also serve as a preview of the topics we will be reviewing in our first season, as Trevor and Tamara discuss many of said topics including: wrongful convictions, Tamara’s interest in studying and preventing wrongful convictions, the creation of the UBC Innocence Project, their recent success in exonerating Tomas Yebes, the hallmarks of wrongful convictions, the use of science in righting miscarriages of justice, the need to revisit historic cases and convictions, jail house informants, juries, and demeanour evidence.