Thursday, September 29, 2022

Professor Kent Roach

Canadian Policing How and Why it Must Change

Faculty of Law Professor Kent Roach is a finalist for the Writers' Trust of Canada's Balsillie Prize for his latest book, Canadian Policing: Why and How It Must Change (Irwin Law Inc. 2022). 

Sponsored and named after Canadian businessman and philanthropist, Jim Balsillie, The Balsillie Prize for Public Policy is awarded annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada for a book of nonfiction that "advances and influences policy debates on a wide range of social, political, economic, or cultural topics relevant to Canadians. The prize celebrates excellence in quality of thought and style and underlines the important role books play in advancing public discourse and bringing new ideas to Canadian policymakers."

The Jury Citation reads:

“In this thoughtful and compelling book, Kent Roach performs an important public service: he skillfully addresses the headlines of policing issues, but then moves far beyond them to tackle what he calls the twin problems of ‘overpolicing and underprotection.’ In so doing, he goes to the core of our contemporary challenge – how should society govern the police? Roach explores what role politicians, tribunals, courts, and communities have in ensuring that police forces across Canada function in lockstep with a democratic society.”

Read U of T News: 'We have urgent work to do': New book by U of T's Kent Roach on why Canadian policing needs to change