Research Reports

Through the Criminology Information Service (CIS), the Centre provides professional and innovative solutions to criminal justice communities worldwide. The CIS houses the leading Canadian research collection of criminological material, consisting of more than 25.000 books, journals, government reports, statistics and other documents, which can be accessed in person or electronically via the World Wide Web. The information covers a wide range of subject areas, including public and private policing; violence deviance and social control; young offenders; criminology, and criminal law.

Each year, UNICEF’s flagship publication, The State of the World’s Children, closely examines a key issue affecting children. The report includes supporting data and statistics and is available in French and Spanish language versions.

The Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) has released this second report on the working and living conditions of foreign workers in Alberta. Entrenching Exploitation updates and expands upon the first report, documenting serious exploitation and abuse at the hands of employers and the government. This PDF (44 pages, 2009) is available for free download.

This index provides bibliographic access to materials associated with more than 200 federal Royal Commissions that have taken place since Confederation. There are approximately 7000 items in the index that includes commission reports, briefs, submissions, evidence, working papers and other documents.

The Treaty Making in Canada section of the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) website includes resources on over 70 historical treaties negotiated with First Nations between 1701 and 1923, including historical research reports, images, maps, and bibliographies.

Prepared by Professor Michael Jackson, QC and Graham Stewart, former Executive Director of the John Howard Society of Canada, this report is a critical review of the policy paper on the Correctional Service of Canada released publicly in December 2007. (PDF – 236 pages, 2009)

The research for this White Paper, prepared for the Association of Canadian Court Administrators, has revealed an important service gap that exists in the Canadian justice system in terms of what self-represented litigants (SRLs) need and what is currently being provided. While the entire justice system has a role to play in understanding and addressing this question, the primary focus of this White Paper is on courts and court administrators (and related services) and their specific approach to SRLs and their legal needs. The report makes eight recommendations.

This qualitative study was led by Dr. Julie Macfarlane of the University of Windsor. The goal was to develop data on the experience of self-represented litigants in three Canadian provinces: Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. The study data illustrates a range of negative consequences experienced by SRL’s as a result of representing themselves. Preliminary Recommendations based on these findings are included at the end of this Report. This 147 page PDF is available for free download.

The Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre is a Canadian non-governmental, non-profit organization affiliated with the University of Calgary which undertakes research on contemporary civil liberties and human rights issues that are of concern to Albertans. The projects are diverse – from proposals for reform of human rights legislation, to a report on citizen complaints about police conduct, to a manual for lawyers who represent mentally disabled clients. Staff and volunteers make presentations on a wide range of civil liberties and human rights topics.