The University of Alberta Faculty of Law would like to congratulate Professor Steven Penney on the launch in Toronto, on February 8, 2012, of his new book, Criminal Procedure in Canada, which was co-authored with James Stribopoulos and Vincenzo Rondinelli and published by LexisNexis Canada. Here is an excerpt from the foreword, written by Brian Greenspan:
"The publication of Criminal Procedure in Canada is the culmination of an ambitious project to house under one roof all aspects of criminal procedure which govern the investigation, detection and prosecution of crime in Canada. Criminal lawyers, criminal law academics and criminal law students are all beneficiaries of this first truly comprehensive treatise on what is self-described as a 'tough subject for the uninitiated'…
The reader is almost immediately struck by the depth and breadth of the research upon which the manuscript is based. The extensive footnotes complement rather than compete with the text and provide a worthwhile review, not only of the relevant jurisprudence, but as well, a précis of significant historical and current academic articles. The authors are neither timid nor equivocal in the expression of their views by critically analyzing judicial reasoning, in demanding a more disciplined focus on underlying policies, in questioning the expansion of police powers and in their lament for the trend toward limiting meaningful Charter scrutiny.
…The comprehensive and exhaustive treatment of virtually every significant aspect of criminal procedure guarantees its place as an indispensible addition to every criminal law library and, at the same time, precludes the realistic possibility of any rival publication in the foreseeable future. The Table of Contents, which canvasses every issue "fit to print", is tantamount to an extensive index of almost every potential procedural issue which the practitioner is likely to confront. Yet at every turn, the text provides clarity and insight while dynamically issuing challenges to rarely disputed entrenched principles. Perhaps the enduring contribution of this text is that it offers a springboard for creative thinking on procedural issues by providing a convenient and thorough examination of the material while exploring deficiencies in the existing case law.
The wealth of information which is provided in an exceptionally readable and organized format ensures that Criminal Procedure in Canada will become required reading in short order and will undoubtedly add several pounds to the weight of trial bags carried by conscientious criminal lawyers across the country."