Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-380) and index.

1. "It Looked like Madness": TraumaPart 1: The Criminal Justice System on Trial2. "Set Up to Fail": Criminalizing People Who Use Substances 3. "From Protectors to Villains": Mental Health, Poverty & Homelessness 4. "Justice Is Not Blind": Indigenous Peoples5. "Thrown in with the Wolves": Incarcerating Indigenous People6. "The Usual Suspects": Anti-Black Racism 7. "An Alien System of Law": Suppression of Indigenous Justice 8. "Nobodies": Victims of Crime9. "Do No Harm or Injustice": Secondary Victimization10. "Perfectly Designed"Part 2: A New Vision for Criminal Justice11. A New Vision12. Healthy Kids and Communities: Preventing Childhood Trauma and Investing in Social Determinants of Justice13. Decriminalizing People: Public Health Approaches to Substances, Mental Health, Poverty, and Homelessness14. Transforming Trauma: Holistic Support for People Who Were Harmed and Caused Harm15. Real Safety: Mobile 24/7 Non-Police Responses16. Peacemaking and Accountability: Restorative Justice as the Primary Approach to Resolving Conflict17. Rehabilitation and Healing: Abolition of Traditional Prisons and Jails18. Indigenous Justice19. "New and Better Stories"Acknowledgments MethodologyContent NotesMental Health and Counselling Resources for ReadersNotesIndex

"#MeToo. Black Lives Matter. Decriminalize Drugs. No More Stolen Sisters. Stop Stranger Attacks. Do we need more cops or to defund police? Harm reduction or treatment? Tougher sentences or prison abolition? The debate about Canada's criminal justice system has rarely been so polarized. This book brings the stories of survivors and offenders alike to the forefront to help us understand why the criminal justice system is facing such an existential crisis. Benjamin Perrin draws on his expertise as a lawyer, former top criminal justice advisor to the prime minister, and law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada to investigate the criminal justice system itself. He critiques the system from a trauma-informed perspective, examining its treatment of victims of crime, Indigenous people and Black Canadians, people with substance use and mental health disorders, and people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and unemployment. Perrin also shares insights from others on the frontlines, including prosecutors and defence lawyers, police chiefs, Indigenous leaders, victim support workers, corrections officers, public health experts, gang outreach workers, prisoner and victims' rights advocates, criminologists, psychologists, and leading trauma experts. Bringing forward the voices of marginalized people, along with their stories of survival and resilience, Indictment shows that a better way is possible."-- Provided by the publisher.

Issued also in electronic format.