Cette recherche de type qualitatif a pour objet d'étude le fonctionnement d'une commission d'enquête publique. Plus particulièrement, elle se penche sur l'étude de cas de l'affaire Belmoral. Suite à l'effondrement de la mine Belmoral, le 20 mai 1980, à Val d'Or, une commission d'enquête fut instituée pour enquêter sur les événements entourant cet effondrement. Se basant sur l'analyse de contenu des notes sténographiques et du rapport final de l'enquête, de mémé que sur les récits de presse, cette recherche vise à exposer la reconstruction que la Commission a faite des événements entourant l'effondrement, menant vers la mise en forme de l'affaire Belmoral. Bref, cette recherche nous a permis d'illustrer les diverses fonctions et contraintes gérant une commission d'enquête publique. Et, plus que tout, elle nous a permis de démontrer l'utilité incontestable de l'enquête publique, utilité qui souvent, à première vue, peut sembler symbolique. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Notre thèse est une analyse du phénomène de la violence entre conjoints sur les plans théoriques et empiriques afin d'élaborer des recommandations qui peuvent indiquer les mesures à prendre pour sa prévention. Premièrement, nous avons analysé l'ampleur empirique du phénomène de la violence conjugale à partir des statistiques officielles et des statistiques obtenues par des études spécifiques. Deuxièmement, nous avons fait une analyse théorique des facteurs explicatifs de la violence infligée aux femmes dans le milieu conjugal. Nous avons regroupé les théories existantes en quatre catégories : (1) les théories intra-individuelles, (2) les théories psycho-sociales, (3) les théories sociologiques et structurelles et, (4) les théories féministes. Troisièmement, des entrevues non structurées auprès de dix-sept (17) femmes violentées nous ont donné les éléments nécessaires pour analyser le vécu des femmes et comprendre le phénomène à partir de leur réalité. La prévention sociale du phénomène de la violence conjugale ne se fait qu'à partir de la reconnaissance de l'existence de ce problème comme phénomène social, ainsi que l'engagement de la collectivité, des agences sociales et des gouvernements a contré les répercussions et les coûts sociaux de la violence faite aux femmes. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Summary. The main objective of this thesis was to provide specific knowledge of residential break and enters in Ottawa and Vanier from which various policies and strategies could be developed by the Ottawa Police Force to combat this crime. This thesis acted as a test pilot project. An areal study of residential break and enter was conducted to focus on the patterns of distribution of this crime throughout the cities of Ottawa and Vanier. The areal analysis identified clusters of offences within the city and an ecological analysis of these clusters, involving such objective measures as demographic, socio-economic, and living conditions were used to demonstrate their evironmental correlates. Proximity to an offender and affluence of the area were identified as factors associated with the break and enter rates during this test period. The third and final objective of this thesis involved recommendations for changes to and introduction of new strategies for combating residential break and enter. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The dissemination of press information in areas of concern to criminal justice plays an important role in the public conceptions of crime and the criminal justice system. The theoretical basis of the work, which integrates studies in phenomenology and metaphor, serves as a vehicle to arrive at a critical understanding of the press portrayal of the security legislation (CSIS Act). The thesis studies press articles gathered from microfilms, government press clippings, and a computer search (Dialog, File 262) for the Vancouver Sun, Winnipeg Free Press, Toronto Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Le Droit, Montreal Gazette, Le Devoir. Specific sub-themes in the reporting of the CSIS indicate that: (1) the reporting was uniformly critical of the bill, (2) the issue of civil rights versus state security provided the boundaries of virtually all coverage, (3) the CSIS was consistently portrayed through totalitarian imagery. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

This study examines the needs of all offenders being released to Toronto during a three month period; July 1 to September 30, 1988. It's purpose is to identify any needs which may exist in Toronto both in terms of a need for halfway house beds and programming needs within the houses. From the data we gathered, we were able to conclude that there is currently no policy which requires that offenders be matched to halfway houses according to their individual needs. We also found that: (1) Mandatory Supervision cases are the highest in terms of risk and need, yet they receive the least structure release of all early releases. Day Parole releases, on the other hand, have the fewest needs and present the lowest risk, yet they receive the most structured form of release, with mandatory halfway house residence. (2) There is a lack of structured programming in Toronto halfway houses, and the programs which do exist are often duplicated, where other needs are not met through any type of programming. (3) There does appear to be a small shortage of beds for Day Parole releases and a great shortage of beds for Mandatory Supervision releases. From these conclusions we were able to make recommendations concerning release policy and how it relates to halfway houses. These recommendations are designed to make the release and treatment of offenders more cost effective as well as to reduce the chances of recidivism. They require both policy and legislative changes in order to be implemented. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Au Canada, de l'institutionnalisation des sciences sociales au cours des années 1950 et 1960, naîtront une série de disciplines hybrides, croisant des savoirs déjà constitués répondant a des besoins de spécialisation provoqués, entre autres choses, par l'expansion de l'appareil d'État. La criminologie émerge comme discipline scientifique dans ce contexte. Le criminologue s'inspire du médecin-curateur, remenant la "criminalité" a un quelconque virus qui circulerait surtout au travers les couches les plus defavorisées de la société. Ce travail de recherche se propose d'analyser le discours criminologique en le considerant comme une institution. Il s'agit de reconstituer l'institutionnalisation de la criminologie québécoise dans le contexte politico-pénal canadien, de manière à en faire ressortir les conditions de production. Hypostasier la notion de crime permet d'évacuer l'aspect politique des définitions de crime. La criminologie créé le "criminel" et le "comportement criminel" comme entités existantes, vraies. En voulant synthétiser en un savoir eclectique des approches singulières, la criminologie ne cherche pas a réfléchir et théoriser sur le phénomène du crime, elle cherche à expliquer un "mal" déjà conjure par le droit et la morale. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Our understanding of criminal victimization in Canadian penitentiaries is quite limited because little research has been conducted in relation to this phenomenon. As a result, it is quite difficult to determine with any degree of certainty the true extent of inmate victimization in Canada. This paper examines the occurrence of victimization in Canadian penitentiaries to shed light on this phenomenon. Using information derived from the 1995 National Inmate Survey (N = 4,381 male federal inmates), the thesis examines the prevalence of inmate victimization in our federal penitentiaries and its relationship to a variety of institutional and individual indicators, as well as testing the relative usefulness of the importation and deprivation theories in explaining the patterns observed. Instances of physical assaults, assaults with weapons, sexual assaults, staff assaults, and gang activity show that violent behaviors are a fairly common occurrence in federal correctional institutions. Bivariate and multivariate analyses revealed some support for the existence of a relationship between institutional and individual indicators with inmate victimization in Canadian federal penitentiaries. Theoretical and policy implications of the data are suggested.

Academics and policy makers have taken note of what appears to be a decline in violent crime in the early 1990's in North America. In Canada, by 1999, the violent crime rate had decreased for the seventh consecutive year. Research has failed, to date, to fully account for this decline. In fact, there are many competing explanations found in the literature. With the exception of research by Kennedy & Veitch, (1997) Carrington, (2001) and Ouimet (2002), most of the research examining the decreasing levels of violent crime has been undertaken using American data. The purpose of this study is to answer the following research question: Which proposed explanations for the decline in rates of violent crime decline are most plausible? This paper examines four possible explanations for the recent decline in the violent crime including changes in the unemployment rate, demographic patterns, police staffing levels and reporting rates. This thesis concludes that the best explanations for the violent crime rate decline between 1993 and 1999 are the changes in the unemployment rate and the changes in demographic patterns as well as changes in the police workforce. Reporting rates have remained stable and thus cannot account for the violent crime rate decline. However, even these explanations fail to account for variation in crime rates over a larger period. Clearly, more sophisticated research is needed.

This thesis explores the relationship between attitudes and knowledge, and assesses the impact of factual information on attitudes on the topic of prison conditions in Canada. A questionnaire, distributed to a non-representative sample of volunteer first year criminology students, forms the basis of this research. The questionnaire incorporated an attitude scale, measuring respondent "punitiveness", and a knowledge scale, measuring the accuracy of factual information concerning prison conditions at the disposal of respondents. The questionnaire was comprised of both global and specific questions and included an experimental manipulation (i.e., case scenarios). Respondents were supportive of both punitive and progressive penal policies and practices. Study participants were familiar with the general facets of prison life, but lacked information on penal policies, prisoner health issues, prisoners' rights, and release from prison. The results of this research do not support a relationship between attitudes and knowledge. Respondents held particular attitudes concerning prison conditions regardless of the amount or accuracy of factual information at their disposal. Participant assessments of penal severity were positively associated with their perceptions of sentencing severity. However, this research indicates that this relationship is spurious. An underlying individual trait, "punitiveness", influenced both attitudes towards sentencing and attitudes towards prison conditions. Respondents favouring punitive penal practices were more likely to appraise prison conditions and sentencing practices as lax. This research also indicates that providing participants with factual information via case scenarios does not alter their opinions. Respondents receiving global questions and those receiving case scenarios expressed statistically similar perceptions of prison conditions. Further, manipulating offence severity within the case scenarios did not alter participant perceptions of prison conditions. However, factual information, in the form of case scenarios, strengthens the relationship between "punitiveness" and perceptions of criminal justice leniency.

Abstract Not Available.