Lecture: Sexual Violence and the Legal System with Elaine Craig

St. Francis Xavier University, 5005 Chapel Square, Antigonish, NS
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Join Elaine Craig, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, for a lecture based on her new book, Putting Trials on Trial: Sexual Assault and the Failure of the Legal Profession. The event will be held in the Schwartz Auditorium, Schwartz School of Business.

In a thorough evaluation of the legal culture and courtroom practices prevalent in sexual assault prosecutions, Elaine Craig provides an even-handed account of the ways in which the legal profession unnecessarily - and sometimes unlawfully - contributes to the trauma and re-victimization experienced by those who testify as sexual assault complainants. Gathering conclusive evidence from interviews with experienced lawyers across Canada, reported case law, lawyer memoirs, recent trial transcripts, and defence lawyers’ public statements and commercial advertisements, Putting Trials on Trial demonstrates that - despite prominent contestations - complainants are regularly subjected to abusive, humiliating, and discriminatory treatment when they turn to the law to respond to sexual violations.

Elaine Craig is associate professor in the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University.