Disability Injustice: Confronting Criminalization in Canada

Ableism in Canadian criminal justice institutions, policies, and practices poses significant risks to disabled individuals, including incarceration and institutionalization. Disability Injustice, a collection of original work by scholars and activists, explores disability in the Canadian criminal justice system, addressing topics such as eugenics, discrimination, criminalization, and the role of disability justice activism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 31 December 2022
Publisher: University of British Columbia Press

Ableism is deeply entrenched within Canadian criminal justice institutions, policies, and practices, posing significant risks to the well-being and lives of disabled individuals. The consequences of incarceration and institutionalization are particularly perilous for those with disabilities, as they exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and expose them to heightened dangers. Disability Injustice, a groundbreaking collection of scholarly and activist contributions, delves into the multifaceted dimensions of disability within the Canadian criminal justice system. The book explores a range of challenging topics, including eugenics, crime control measures, the pathologization of difference as deviance, discriminatory criminalization based on subjective assessments of physical and mental health, and the critical role of disability justice activism in challenging longstanding discrimination and exclusion. By intertwining disability and sociolegal studies, criminology, and law, Disability Injustice offers a comprehensive examination of disability in various contexts, including policing and surveillance, sentencing and court proceedings, prisons and other carceral spaces, and alternative forms of detention. Through its provocative insights, the book highlights the urgent need for a deeper understanding of disability to challenge the practices of crime control and the processes of criminalization. By advocating for a more inclusive and equitable criminal justice system, Disability Injustice contributes to the ongoing efforts to dismantle ableist barriers and promote the rights and dignity of disabled individuals.

Weight: 540g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780774867139