Uncertain justice : Canadian women and capital punishment 1754-1953

Greenwood, F. Murray (Frank Murray) 1935- (Author). Boissery, Beverley, 1939- (Added Author).

Summary: In 1754, Eleanor Powers was hung for a murder committed during a botched robbery. She was the first woman condemned to die in Canada, but would not be the last. In Uncertain Justice, Beverley Boissery and Murray Greenwood portray a cast of women characters almost as often wronged by the law as they have wronged society. Starting with the Powers trial and continuing to the not-too-distant past, the authors expose the patriarchal values that lie at the core of criminal law, and the class and gender biases that permeate its procedures and applications. The writing style is similar to that of a popular mystery: "Harriet Henry lay dead. Horribly and indubitably. Her body sprawled against the bed, the head twisted at a grotesque angle. Foam engulfed the grinning mouth." Scholarly analysis combines with the narrative to make Uncertain Justice a fascinating and engaging read. There is a wealth of information about the emerging and evolving legal system and profession, the state of forensic science, the roles of juries and the political turmoil and growing resistance to a purely class-based aristocratic form of government.

Record details

ISBN: 9781282814714
ISBN: 1282814710
ISBN: 1459717813
ISBN: 9781459717817
ISBN: 9781417598236
ISBN: 1417598239
ISBN: 9781550023442
ISBN: 1550023446
Physical Description: 1 online resource
remote
Publisher: Toronto, Ont. : Dundurn Press, [2000]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Cover13; -- Table of Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Chapter One -- The Eleanor Power Story -- Chapter Two -- The Many Trials of Marie-Josephte Corriveau -- Chapter Three -- 8220;Beauty, Thou Pretty Plaything!8221;: Margaret Jordan 8212; Murderer? Pirate? -- Chapter Four -- Julia Murdock 8212; From 8220;Comparative Innocence to ... Blackest Guilt8221;? -- Chapter Five -- The Capital Conviction of Innocent Persons -- Chapter Six -- 8220;Sham Chivalry8221;: Canadian Women and the Criminal Jury in Capital Cases, 18678211;1962 -- Chapter Seven -- Elizabeth Workman 8212; Sinner or Saint? -- Chapter Eight -- Annie Robinson 8212; 8220;More to be Pitied Than Censured8221;? -- Chapter Nine -- Jennie Hawkes 8212; A Woman Wronged -- Chapter Ten -- Annie Rubletz and Mary Paulette 8212; 8220;The Far Side of Despair8221; -- Conclusion -- Endnotes -- Endnotes to the Introduction -- Endnotes to Chapter One -- Endnotes to Chapter Two -- Endnotes to Chapter Three -- Endnotes to Chapter Four -- Endnotes to Chapter Five -- Endnotes to Chapter Six -- Endnotes to Chapter Seven -- Endnotes to Chapter Eight -- Endnotes to Chapter Nine -- Endnotes to Chapter Ten -- Endnotes to the Conclusion -- Selected Bibliography -- Index.
Restrictions on Access Note:	NLC staff and students only.
Source of Description Note:	Print version record.