As for my next selection in the "biography" series, I chose this case study of Donald Marshall Jr., a 17-year-old Mi'kmaq youth from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. As a result of systemic racism, perpetuated by both law enforcement and the judicial system in 1971, Marshall was falsely accused of murder and imprisoned for 11 years. Eventually, he was acquitted of the crime, and a Royal Commission Inquiry highlighted the miscarriage of justice that occurred as a direct result of discrimination.
This is a quick read, specifically aimed at high school students. It is prefaced by a formal letter from Anne S. Derrick, one of Marshall's counsel at the Royal Commission Inquiry. It then introduces a narrative timeline crafted from dialogue in transcripts of hearings and witness statements. It ends with an update of individuals mentioned in the text, as well as a glossary of definitions for judicial and cultural terms used throughout.
The author, Bill Swan, has written other case studies in this "Real Justice" series, which narrate Canadian proceedings in which a miscarriage of justice occurred.
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