CALGARY- On the morning of March 20th 2013, a group of journalists on behalf of Ollies world of writing, were given an opportunity to view a few public court cases inside the Calgary Courts Center. They were there on behalf of Ollies World of Writing to give insight on the newly found controversy between the Federal Rights of Canadian citizens and the transparency that courts need to possess in order to run smoothly.
Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canadian citizens (and all those under the Charter) are legally entitled to view public court cases as they please. The government believes that public courts are put in place for the well-being of citizens, and they give the public a feeling of connection with their community, their safety and the law.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was originally drafted in 1867. This was a time where newspapers, television, and radio were not known and the only way for Canadian citizens to feel somewhat safe would be to physically see the convicted be sentenced with their own eyes. Therefore this right was granted under law.
Today, anybody can simply use the internet, watch the television or listen to the radio at their own disposal and know everything that is going on in their community and around the world. There is no need for the public to be granted access to public court cases just to keep informed about his or her community as all cases are very well covered by local media and is at reach of public citizens.
As the press team walked through the big wood doors into the Youth Criminal Justice Court, they sat down and noticed the 16 year old aboriginal teenager on the direct link monitor next to the judge. As they listened to the judge, and stared at the young man, you could sense the feeling of awkwardness around the journalists sitting in the audience booth.
As the trial went on, they started to
understand the fact that this would be one of the worst days of this young
man’s life and they were sitting in the audience booth as if it was some sort
of entertainment. It reminded us of medieval times when crowds would gather to view
an execution. The point being, if you’re coming to view a public court case as
an afternoon activity; you’re probably there for the wrong reason.
Although viewing Public Court cases is a federal right, we
have seen a steep decline in the amount of the public coming to view these
trials, why? Well this is due to the fact that all court case verdicts are
available on the internet, and those who
actually care about these cases can view the verdicts without even leaving
their home. So our advice to the public is, if you don’t have a solid reason for being at the court house, don’t abuse the right. Stay at home and watch a few episodes of “Law and Order”.
-30-
No comments:
Post a Comment