R v Webbe-Wong: A Reminder of the Frailties of Cross-Racial Identification Evidence
This paper will explain that reliability issues with eyewitness testimony are aggravated by cross-racial bias, a phenomenon which causes eyewitness identifications to be less reliable when the witness is a different race than the identified individual. In doing so, it will examine the 2022 case of R v Webbe-Wong (2022 ONCJ 423) to underscore that even credible, convincing, and well-intentioned eyewitnesses can be mistaken as a result of cross-racial bias.
Racialized or Randomized?: Race Shield Legislation Admissibility & Character Evidence
According to David Tanovich, “the collateral effects of over-incarceration and constant surveillance [i.e.: racial profiling] on racialized communities are enormous”. Canadian criminal justice institutions are racially biased. Racial bias creates preconceived character evidence that is attributable to individual members of that race. For example, minority groups report disproportionally high incidents of racial profiling.
