Legal Studies 3080

Conclusion


In this lesson you have taken a look at how the rights of Canadian citizens not to be interfered with are balanced against the rights of the police to protect society from criminal activity. It's a delicate balancing act - and one that is always being refined.

In recent years, for example, the growing perception of a terrorist threat has created an environment that allows the police greater powers when dealing with suspected terrorists than they otherwise would have. Some people object to this infringement of the rights of individuals in the name of security. In the future, the balance may well shift back.

Of course, this balancing act does not end with arrest and the search for evidence; it goes on throughout the pre-trial and trial processes. It is the pre-trial process that you will be looking at in the next lesson.