Laurier Criminology department presents public lecture on corporate crime prosecution

Sept. 25, 2019
For Immediate Release

Brantford – The ways in which corporations that break the law are – or are not – punished will be the theme of a public lecture when Brandon Garrett, professor at Duke University School of Law, speaks at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus on Oct. 1. The event is hosted by the university’s Criminology Department.

Garrett, author of Too Big to Jail: How Prosecutors Compromise with Corporations, has been invited to speak on his research about out-of-court settlements with corporations in the United States.

Garrett co-created the Corporate Prosecution Registry, the largest online database of corporate prosecutions in the United States. The registry aims to provide understanding about how these cases are resolved.

Laurier Associate Professor of Criminology Dan Antonowicz says Canada has recently adopted remediation agreements to address corporate wrongdoing in Canada. These out-of-court settlements aim to make corporations accountable by imposing penalties and putting corrective measures in place. One of the objectives of the DPA process is to take into account the needs of employees and shareholders who were not directly involved in the wrongdoing.

While there has yet to be a case in Canada that has used this tool, the topic of remediation agreements has been part of recent high-profile cases.

“By having Brandon Garret join us in Brantford to speak on this fascinating topic, I hope it will raise awareness of the possibility of what these prosecution agreements could look like in Canada,” said Antonowicz.

This free public event will take place Oct. 1 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Research and Academic Centre West, RCW 202 (150 Dalhousie Street, Brantford). Seating is limited. Garrett’s books will be available for purchase at the event through the Stedman Community Bookstore.