FOR FREE PEOPLE

Watch The Free Press Live!

FOR FREE PEOPLE

Live Event May 17: The End of Blind Justice?

Join FP reporters and sources for an exclusive conversation about an approach to criminal justice poised to reshape our legal system.

By The Free Press

May 16, 2023

If you’re a paid subscriber to The Free Press, you get certain perks—including the chance to meet our reporters, editors, sources, and special guests. We have one such event on May 17. We hope you’ll join us for a Free Press Behind the Scenes, where we delve into the story behind one of our most important recent investigations. 

Last week, Free Press reporter Rupa Subramanya sparked controversy—and conversation—with her piece “Is Justice Still Blind in Canada?” Her story showed how Canadian judges are giving more lenient sentences to non-white criminals on the grounds that they have been subjected to historic and systemic racism. This approach to criminal justice has already moved beyond Canada into the U.S., with California enacting the Racial Justice Act, which enables anyone convicted of a crime to challenge that conviction on the grounds of racial bias.  

Rupa talked to people on all sides of the issue—the convicts, the lawyers, the judges, and family members of the victims of crime to ask: Is this new approach to justice truly fair? And what is the right way to punish those who have committed crimes while addressing society’s problem of inequality? Can the two ever be achieved at the same time?

Free Press senior editor Peter Savodnik will host the conversation with Rupa and the following guests: Danardo Jones, a criminal law professor at the University of Windsor; Ryan Handlarski, a criminal defense attorney; and Nadia Robinson, who lost her partner in a hit and run—and saw his killer walk away with community service.

This is a thought-provoking debate you won’t want to miss. 

And if you’re not already a paid subscriber, what are you waiting for? Become a subscriber now—and we will see you at our Free Press Behind the Scenes event tonight at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. Please find the event details below, and leave questions for our speakers in the comments. 

Maintaining The Free
Press is Expensive!

To support independent journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below.

Subscriber Benefits:

  • Unlimited articles including weekly columns
  • Early access to live events
  • Access to the comments section

Already have an account? Sign in

our Comments

Use common sense here: disagree, debate, but don't be a .

the fp logo
comment bg

Welcome to The FP Community!

Our comments are an editorial product for our readers to have smart, thoughtful conversations and debates — the sort we need more of in America today. The sort of debate we love.   

We have standards in our comments section just as we do in our journalism. If you’re being a jerk, we might delete that one. And if you’re being a jerk for a long time, we might remove you from the comments section. 

Common Sense was our original name, so please use some when posting. Here are some guidelines:

  • We have a simple rule for all Free Press staff: act online the way you act in real life. We think that’s a good rule for everyone.
  • We drop an occasional F-bomb ourselves, but try to keep your profanities in check. We’re proud to have Free Press readers of every age, and we want to model good behavior for them. (Hello to Intern Julia!)
  • Speaking of obscenities, don’t hurl them at each other. Harassment, threats, and derogatory comments that derail productive conversation are a hard no.
  • Criticizing and wrestling with what you read here is great. Our rule of thumb is that smart people debate ideas, dumb people debate identity. So keep it classy. 
  • Don’t spam, solicit, or advertise here. Submit your recommendations to tips@thefp.com if you really think our audience needs to hear about it.
Close Guidelines

Latest