Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) criminologist Dr. Lisa Monchalin has been awarded a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Wrongful Convictions.
Her research will examine miscarriages of justice and false accusations in Canada, particularly those affecting Indigenous Peoples.
“My team will be examining the role of innocence in the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples within the criminal justice system and identify strategies to reduce and prevent this,” says Dr. Monchalin, a criminology instructor at KPU. “We also want to examine the role colonialism plays in perpetuating miscarriages of justice.”
For guidance on preventing and addressing wrongful accusations and convictions, Dr. Monchalin is examining legal traditions of Upper Great Lakes Métis-Anishinaabe Peoples, which is where her own Métis ancestry originates. As a proud member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, she aims to uphold her responsibility to her community and peoples.
The team will investigate experiences of innocence by interviewing wrongfully accused Indigenous Peoples and surveying police officers, lawyers, and judges to explore confirmation bias, the illusory truth effect, lack of cultural competency, and limits of the colonial system in achieving justice and truth.
Through the research, Dr. Monchalin aims to develop Indigenous legal empowerment workshops, as well as specialized training programs for police officers, lawyers and judges.
“We’re thrilled to see Lisa’s scholarship recognized with this well-deserving appointment,” says Dr. Diane Purvey, Provost and Vice-President, Academic at KPU. “Her work will help shed light on the systemic injustices Indigenous communities face, creating a pathway for change in Canada’s criminal justice system.”
In the longer term, she intends to establish an Indigenous Innocence Institute at KPU, which can serve as a hub for research and advocacy, foster partnerships and train the next generation of researchers to tackle Indigenous overincarceration and wrongful accusations and convictions.
“I want to create a culturally-safe space for all students to learn and make change,” says Dr. Monchalin. “This work is essential to building a more equitable justice system in Canada.”
Indigenous students working with the team are eligible to apply for the Bernadette Monchalin Endowed Award for Indigenous Justice at KPU. Wanting to create a permanent award, Dr. Monchalin donated and created this Endowed Award in 2017. She named it after her Grandmother, to honour the present, past and to support future generations of Indigenous students for perpetuity.
The CRC program aims to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds. Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.