8th Justicia Awards for Legal Reporting

The Canadian Bar Association announced the names of the winners of the 2007 Justicia Awards for Legal Reporting last weekend.

The winners:

• Filmmaker John Kastner in the broadcast category for his documentary "Monster in the Family" (aired on CTV, June 2006): "The controversial film examined the case of notorious criminal Martin Ferrier on the eve of his release from prison and showed how an offender, despite having a relatively minor violent record, can easily be portrayed as a monster by an unquestioning media and public."
• Sue Bailey and Jim Bronskill of The Canadian Press in the print category for their five-part series "Shackled Minds: Criminalizing the Mentally Ill" (November 2006): "(It) examined the dilemma of a swelling population of mentally ill inmates in prisons across Canada, based on interviews with social and medical workers, correctional staff, police, wardens and senior judges including Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin".

The Justicia Awards are sponsored by the Canadian Bar Association and the Department of Justice Canada.

They are meant to "recognize outstanding journalism that fosters public awareness and understanding of any aspect of the Canadian justice system and the roles played by institutions and participants in the legal system".