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PC Justice Critic Calling for Review of Staffing Levels in Crown Attorney’s Office
The Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Attorneys Association says some prosecutors have up to 200 cases on their plate, and sometimes work until early morning preparing for a trial. PC Justice Critic Helen Conway Ottenheimer believes that Crown attorneys are too important a player in the justice system to allow shortcomings in staffing to impact their ability to always be at the top of their game.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-08-12
Crown Attorneys Plead For More Staff to Match Rising Crime Rates
Shawn Patten, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Attorneys Association,... notes while crime is increasing, the number of prosecutors has not been adjusted to deal with it. He’s calling on government to correct the imbalance in the name of public safety.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-08-03
N.B. reaches tentative deal with Crown prosecutors union
The New Brunswick government says it has struck a tentative collective agreement with the union representing the province’s Crown prosecutors. In a news release, the province said the details of the agreement will be confidential until it is ratified.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-07-17
Crown prosecutors vote 99% in favour of strike action amid labour shortage, system 'crisis'
New Brunswick Crown prosecutors and family court Crown counsel have voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action. They have been in contract talks with the provincial government for more than a year and warn the "crisis" facing the criminal justice system is growing, due to recruitment and retention problems.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-05-28
Pénurie de procureurs : vers l’abandon de poursuites
Les procureurs de la Couronne craignent le pire devant la crise qui ralentit le fonctionnement du système de justice pénale au Nouveau-Brunswick. Des appels à l’aide ont été lancés depuis deux semaines. Me Yves Duguay, vice-président de l’Association des procureurs de la Couronne du Nouveau-Brunswick et procureur à Bathurst, avoue que ça fait un moment que la situation est inquiétante.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-03-27
B.C. prosecutors' association raises security concerns about Vancouver courthouse following assault
The association that represents B.C.’s roughly 450 Crown prosecutors is raising safety concerns around an East Vancouver courthouse after a member was allegedly assaulted outside last week. "We’re reeling, this has really shaken us to the core to have one of our own attacked right here,” said BCCCA president Adam Dalrymple.
[ ...Suite ]Date de parution : 2024-02-05
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Crown Attorneys Plead For More Staff to Match Rising Crime Rates
03-08-2024
The people in the province’s justice system who play a key role in courtrooms say increasing rates and complexities of crime are leaving them swamped with work, and they’re calling on government to staff up.
Statistics Canada recently published data which shows rising rates of crime nationally and provincially.
Homicides, for example, are up significantly in Newfoundland and Labrador, ranging from two to almost 10 a year over the past decade, while extortion cases saw the biggest jump in numbers from just 19 reports in 2015, to 202 in 2023.
Vehicle thefts are up by about 30 per cent over that period, with notable spikes in other crimes as well.
Shawn Patten, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Attorneys Association, says prosecutors don’t always have the luxury of asking the judge for more time to present their case, and often work until the wee hours preparing for trials.
That’s due in large part, he says, to a shortage of experience Crown attorneys.
“That is what we’re seeing — overworked lawyers trying their best to protect the public,” he said. “But that’s a slippery slope. We’ve seen many talented Crown attorneys move on to other areas of practice — not because they don’t enjoy being a prosecutor but because they’re often overwhelmed with the workload.
“And by losing talented lawyers, especially those with experience, we end up with a pool of more junior lawyers with less experience being asked to handle not only their own high workload, but also that of their former colleagues.”
Patten notes while crime is increasing, the number of prosecutors has not been adjusted to deal with it.
He’s calling on government to correct the imbalance in the name of public safety.
https://vocm.com/2024/08/03/crown-lawyers-workload/
