Rights of Accused vs. Society in Canada

the world over are always faced with the challenge of balancing the rights of society with the rights of the accused. As a result, countries often enact laws that ensure that the society is safe while at the same that the accused persons rights are not jeopardized. In Canada, the issue of establishing a balance between the rights of the accused and those of the society became more apparent with the enactment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982. This law aims at upholding the accuseds rights as well as the societys rights and freedoms (Boyd, 2007, p.320). The enactment of the Charter was however met with sharp criticisms that mainly focused on the possibility of reducing the police authority over crime control.