What is society's interest in a backlog of criminal cases?

Alberta, Canada


The following excerpt is from R. v. Cameron, 1982 CanLII 1192 (AB QB):

In Barker v. Wingo, Powell J. pointed out that, apart from the interests of the accused, society has an interest in the accused being tried promptly because a backlog of cases enables accused persons “to negotiate more effectively for pleas of guilty to lesser offences and otherwise manipulate the system” [p. 519], “persons released on bond for lengthy periods awaiting trial have an opportunity to commit other crimes” [p. 519], the longer an accused is free awaiting trial “the more tempting becomes his opportunity to jump bail and escape” [p. 520], “delay between arrest and punishment may have a detrimental effect on rehabilitation” [p. 520] and the longer an accused is free awaiting trial the longer he is “disadvantaged by restraints on his liberty and by living under a cloud of anxiety, suspicion, and often hostility” [p. 533].

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