The NJI hosts a set of model jury instructions for criminal cases, which were created by the Canadian Judicial Council’s (CJC) National Committee on Jury Instructions. These jury instructions provide judges with standard language which they may use when speaking with members of juries about their duties, the nature of the criminal charge before the court, and the legal rules which apply to the jury's deliberations.
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Without the proper tools, the justice system can be vulnerable to unreliable expert scientific evidence. In keeping with its commitment to delivering science programming and educational resources for the judiciary, the National Judicial Institute (NJI) has developed a Science Manual for Canadian Judges.
The goal of the Science Manual is to provide judges with tools to better understand expert evidence and to assess the validity of purportedly scientific evidence presented to them. The Science Manual contributes to a broader conversation about the role of expert opinion evidence in the legal system, and responds to calls, most notably from the Honourable W. Ian C. Binnie and the Honourable Justice Stephen T. Goudge in his Report of the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario, for the creation of a reference manual on science that judges can easily access.
This handbook provides an introduction to problem-solving principles and practices, as well as practical suggestions and guidelines on how to incorporate them within and beyond the courtroom setting.
This book was designed primarily for judges. However, the success of problem-solving courtrooms and therapeutic justice techniques depends not only on judges but on the professionals who routinely work in and with the justice system. This large and diverse group of people, composed of lawyers, academics, social workers, corrections staff, and other professionals, also advance problem-solving practices on a daily basis. The intent of this handbook is to be as inclusive as the practices and principles detailed within it. Although the language is frequently directed to judges, this handbook is anticipated to be of use to a wide audience: those already working with therapeutic justice practices and in problem-solving courtrooms, and those who seek to do so in the future.