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This morning I read an interesting article regarding convicted killer Sara Rowe. In 2006 she was sentenced to life with no parole for 12 years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the death of sex-trade worker Ruchael Friars. At trial it was heard that Ms Friars was beaten, burned, cut, strangled, had her eyes glued shut, her hair cut, and the word “Rat” carved into her forehead. After completing 10 years of her 12

I must say, it drives me crazy that the Sarnia Lambton area does not have a detox and rehabilitation residential treatment center. Don’t get me wrong, the individuals at Bluewater Health Addictions and Withdrawal Treatment do an excellent job assisting individuals in the community who are struggling on a daily basis. The problem, however, has grown to be beyond their reach and mandate. We have recently found out that the city owns the old Sarnia

After being convicted of a criminal offence, the prosecutor will often ask that you serve a period of probation. There are two types of probation: Non-reporting Reporting Type 1: Non-reporting When put on this type of probation the court is basically telling you to behave for a year and don’t get into trouble. Sometimes if you are charged with multiple other people, or there is an identifiable victim to the offence the probation order will

This is something that I intimately understand. I was given the idea for this blog posting by the interview given by Marie Henein (the now infamous lawyer for Jian Ghomeshi) with Peter Mansbridge. It is also something that no one talks about because people charged with crimes, especially in this day in age where you can give your opinion to half the world over social media, are immediately stigmatized. Being charged with a crime is

You can thank Stephen Harper for this one.  What is it? If you are convicted of a crime you have to pay an “administrative fee” to the supposed victims of the offence. Personally, I think it is doubtful that such money goes to victim services, but I stand to be corrected. How much? If you receive a fine as part of your sentence, it will be 30% of that fine. For example- receive a $1500

There is a very informative website located at www.pardons.gc.ca that gives a step-by-step guide to achieving a pardon. What is a pardon? This will effectively wipe out your criminal record. Who can get a pardon? Only persons convicted of certain offences can get a pardon. It is necessary to research whether or not it is available. When can I get a pardon? This also depends on the type of offence. It is between 5, 10,

Mondays 8:30am, Courtroom 301- video remands (if the person is in jail and doesn’t have a plan for bail they will appear on a video screen in this courtroom) 9:30am, Courtroom 301- First calls- OPP -if you were arrested by the OPP- think Petrolia, Corunna, Wyoming etc, you will be given a MONDAY court date when you are released. Arrive ready to appear for 9:30am. If it is your first time appearing in court- you

When a friend or family member is arrested, depending on the seriousness of what he/she is charged with, he/she may ask you to be a surety. What is a surety? A person who offers to sign someone out of jail and promises to the court to ensure that he/she follows the rules that the court sets. This person has to “pledge” a certain amount of money that they could have to pay if the person