two books
Located on the main street of Niagara-on-the-Lake, The Historic Niagara District Court House is associated with the development of judicial, governmental, and administrative infrastructure in Ontario. Built from 1846-1848, it is the third and only historic court house to remain standing in the former Niagara District. As such, it is designated an official Canadian heritage site.
Using a rigorous marxist structuralist methodology, the book draws the reader into a compelling web of economic, social, and geographical structures, showing how human actions, sometimes murderous, arise from forces larger than the individual.
Murray explores how far local characteristics affected the operation of a criminal justice system transplanted from England; his analysis includes how legal processes affected Upper Canadian morality, the treatment of the insane, welfare cases, crimes committed in the district, and an examination of the roles of the Niagara magistrates, constables, and juries. Murray concludes by arguing that while the principles and culture of British justice were firmly implanted in the Niagara district, this did not prevent justice from being unequal, especially for women and visible minorities.
