The Case of Valentine Shortis: A True Story of Crime and Politics in Canada

by Martin L. Friedland

Recounts a murder trial in late nineteenth century Canada and its influence on Canadian politics, and discusses the case's implications for French-English relations, psychiatry, and the criminal process

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Scott Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin Friedland has done a masterful job of finding and highlighting what amounts to major piece of history - both legally and politically. From a legal perspective, it is a great early Canadian case study in the application of the McNaughton rules for determining criminal insanity. In addition, Friedland provides glimpses into the workings of the criminal justice system from the police to corrections. From a political perspective, the Shortis case highlights a number of key features of politics in the late 19th century - the relationship to the British Isles and the personal power plays of early Canadian Prime Ministers and politicians.

[Cameron Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book by any means, but the number of inaccuracies about Canadian penal history and lack of citation when outright quoting from difficult to access documents and private diaries makes me wary of Friedland's scholarship.