Criminal Law Fundamentals

Overview

This seminar focused on the fundamentals of criminal law matters, with emphasis on the law and social context of sexual assault trials. The program was intended for judges appointed within the last five years.

Objectives

The program provided judges with the substantive knowledge and practical skills to effectively manage and decide criminal law matters, to appreciate and apply the elements of sexual assault law, and to manage such cases with an improved awareness of social context.

Summary

In this seminar, senior judges with experience in criminal law shared their practical and substantive knowledge with their newly appointed colleagues on core substantive and procedural issues in criminal trials. Sessions were highly interactive, including round table discussions, applied work by participants on criminal trial scenarios and opportunities to ask questions to their colleagues. The seminar focused on sexual assault trials, highlighting, in particular, the elements of sexual assault and their corresponding defences, as well as the myths and stereotypes prohibited in sexual assault trials. Designed to complement the national training provided by the New Federally Appointed Judges Seminars and the Court’s bi-annual education seminars, this one-day program provided participants with additional information on substantive, procedural and administrative issues.