What if an innocent person was in prison by mistake? Since 2006, Quebec lawyers, assisted by law students, have been dissecting the files of people who claim to have been wrongfully convicted. Why? To find what are called miscarriages of justice… and correct them. Let me explain.
What is a miscarriage of justice?
Judges, police officers, lawyers… all of these people help determine whether someone has broken the law or not. This is determined during a trial. In Canada, everyone has the right to a fair and just trial.
But mistakes can sometimes happen. For example, it can mean that a person who did not commit a crime is sentenced to prison. Although it does not happen often in Canada, these mistakes are very serious.
This is why organizations work hard to detect and repair these faults.
Students and lawyers to the rescue!
This is the mission of Projet Innocence Québec, an organization that defends for free those who believe they are victims of a miscarriage of justice. Lawyers work hard there, and they have help! Law students from UQAM assist them in their quest for justice.
A court case is complex. It is made up of a LOT of documents that must be read and reread. And you must understand the laws that justified certain decisions. So a single inmate’s application can take several years to process.
But it’s worth it, because this work can change everything.
The case of Claude Paquin
One of these cases is that of Claude Paquin. In 1983, after being tried, he was found guilty of killing two people. He spent 18 years in prison. During all this time, he repeated that he was innocent and that there had been errors during his trial.
In 2010, Projet Innocence Québec began working on its file. Many students got involved.
In 2020, 10 years later, the organization asked the courts to reassess Mr. Paquin’s case. And… success! Last April, the Minister of Justice announced that Claude Paquin’s conviction was overturned. What does that mean? He is no longer in prison and will undergo a new trial that will not be influenced by the old miscarriages of justice. It will be much fairer for him.
And it’s partly thanks to UQAM students!
By Camille Lopez
From an article by Léo Mercier-Ross
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