News Release - March 16, 1996. RE: The Ontario Attorney General's review of the Homolka Plea Bargain.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

16 MARCH, 1996

CAVEAT would like to commend the Attorney General, Charles Harnick, and his ministry for their responsible and timely external review and open accounting of the events and matters surrounding the Karla Homolka plea agreement. This is a significant step in ensuring openness and public accountability in the administration of justice.

If the report upholds the Homolka plea bargain, it is essential that all the information and reasoning on which the decision is based are clearly stated to avoid a public outcry and to satisfy the public that the plea bargain was reasonable under the circumstances. This is essential to reassure the public and bolster confidence in the effective administration of justice in Ontario.

The questions regarding the plea agreement, and the charges laid against Karla Homolka are perfectly reasonable and legitimate. Accusations that the public in general and victims in particular, are driving criminal law and therefore jeopardizing the integrity of the judicial process, are undeserved and offensive. Criminal law is the collective property of all citizens. It is not the private domain of the legal profession and the courts. Any justice system that is completely insensitive to public concerns and needs would constitute a tyranny.

Public confidence and belief in the justice system are essential components in any law-abiding society.


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