Jasleen Aujla
January 5th, 2015
CLN4U0
Mr. Gill
THE SEXUAL OFFENDERS REGISTRY: NOT CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE REGISTRANTS
Out of the many ironic injustices found in the Canadian justice system, there is perhaps none as tragic as the fate of those who have been found not criminally responsible (NCR) of committing a sexual crime. Instead of allowing for those who have been unfairly accused to repent in solitude, their past haunts them in the form of The Sexual Offenders Registry. It is completely unreasonable to add people who have been found to be NCR of a sexual offence in the Sexual Offenders Registry, as those individuals are less likely to reoffend, have already compensated for the act through psychological rehabilitation, and most importantly, …show more content…
When one is found not criminally responsible on the grounds of mental illness, they are essentially being ruled as innocent. It is preposterous to punish those who are not guilty, especially when they did not have control over their alleged actions. The requirements for an NCR defence is built up on a series of different criteria. This criteria includes that the defendant was not able to distinguish right from wrong during the time of the incident, did not have the capacity to appreciate their actions, and was suffering from a mental illness during the moment in question (CBC Canada, 2013). It is extremely difficult to receive an NCR verdict. It brings up the question of who the true victims in these circumstances are. When one can not have full control of their actions, it us up to us as a society - and humankind - to reach out and help the being rather than ostracize them through the Sexual Offenders Registry. An obvious analogy can be used to demonstrate this argument: Abel is an elderly man with a healthy medical past. One day Abel suffers from an intense seizure - during this seizure, Abel has a spasm in which his arm hits his friend’s nose, breaking it. All those with a rational mind would agree that Abel was not in control of his actions at the time of the incident, and …show more content…
(2001). Mental disorder in federal offenders: A Canadian prevalence study. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 2, 330-356.
Correctional Service of Canada. (2015, March 5). Retrieved January 5, 2016, from http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pblct/health/tcc-eng.shtml#_Toc267041270
Dranoff, L. (2005). Injury, Abuse, Victimization: Criminal Charges. In Every Canadian's guide to the law (3rd ed., p. 389). Toronto: Collins.
Gortner EM, Rude SS, Pennebaker JW. Benefits of expressive writing in lowering rumination and depressive symptoms. Behavioral Therapy. 2006 Sep; 37(3):292-303.
Mewett, A. (1988). Criminal Defences. In An introduction to the criminal process in Canada (4th ed.). Toronto: Carswell.
Not Criminally Responsible: Doc Zone. (2013, April 10). Retrieved November 25, 2015, from http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/features/backgrounder-not-criminally-responsible
National Sex Offender Registry. (2015, March 31). Retrieved November 19, 2015, from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/tops-opst/bs-sc/nsor-rnds/index-eng.htm
Wallace, C., Mullen, P., Burgess, P., Palmer, S., Ruschena, D., & Browne, C. (1998). Serious criminal offending and mental disorder. Case linkage study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 172(6),
January 5th, 2015
CLN4U0
Mr. Gill
THE SEXUAL OFFENDERS REGISTRY: NOT CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE REGISTRANTS
Out of the many ironic injustices found in the Canadian justice system, there is perhaps none as tragic as the fate of those who have been found not criminally responsible (NCR) of committing a sexual crime. Instead of allowing for those who have been unfairly accused to repent in solitude, their past haunts them in the form of The Sexual Offenders Registry. It is completely unreasonable to add people who have been found to be NCR of a sexual offence in the Sexual Offenders Registry, as those individuals are less likely to reoffend, have already compensated for the act through psychological rehabilitation, and most importantly, …show more content…
When one is found not criminally responsible on the grounds of mental illness, they are essentially being ruled as innocent. It is preposterous to punish those who are not guilty, especially when they did not have control over their alleged actions. The requirements for an NCR defence is built up on a series of different criteria. This criteria includes that the defendant was not able to distinguish right from wrong during the time of the incident, did not have the capacity to appreciate their actions, and was suffering from a mental illness during the moment in question (CBC Canada, 2013). It is extremely difficult to receive an NCR verdict. It brings up the question of who the true victims in these circumstances are. When one can not have full control of their actions, it us up to us as a society - and humankind - to reach out and help the being rather than ostracize them through the Sexual Offenders Registry. An obvious analogy can be used to demonstrate this argument: Abel is an elderly man with a healthy medical past. One day Abel suffers from an intense seizure - during this seizure, Abel has a spasm in which his arm hits his friend’s nose, breaking it. All those with a rational mind would agree that Abel was not in control of his actions at the time of the incident, and …show more content…
(2001). Mental disorder in federal offenders: A Canadian prevalence study. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 2, 330-356.
Correctional Service of Canada. (2015, March 5). Retrieved January 5, 2016, from http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pblct/health/tcc-eng.shtml#_Toc267041270
Dranoff, L. (2005). Injury, Abuse, Victimization: Criminal Charges. In Every Canadian's guide to the law (3rd ed., p. 389). Toronto: Collins.
Gortner EM, Rude SS, Pennebaker JW. Benefits of expressive writing in lowering rumination and depressive symptoms. Behavioral Therapy. 2006 Sep; 37(3):292-303.
Mewett, A. (1988). Criminal Defences. In An introduction to the criminal process in Canada (4th ed.). Toronto: Carswell.
Not Criminally Responsible: Doc Zone. (2013, April 10). Retrieved November 25, 2015, from http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/features/backgrounder-not-criminally-responsible
National Sex Offender Registry. (2015, March 31). Retrieved November 19, 2015, from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/tops-opst/bs-sc/nsor-rnds/index-eng.htm
Wallace, C., Mullen, P., Burgess, P., Palmer, S., Ruschena, D., & Browne, C. (1998). Serious criminal offending and mental disorder. Case linkage study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 172(6),