For Immediate Release
June 26, 2023
TORONTO – Indigo’s popular selection of “Most Anticipated Canadian Books for Fall 2023,” announced today and offering readers pre-order discounts until July 2, may prompt a few double-takes. Nestled amongst the customary celebrity memoirs, tantalizing cookbooks, and bestselling fiction is Indictment: The Criminal Justice System on Trial by Benjamin Perrin, published by University of Toronto Press (UTP). Canada’s largest book retailer doesn’t often designate a university press title as “One of Their Most Anticipated” seasonal reads. But what’s worthy of a second look in this case is that Perrin’s book will be the first-ever UTP title to appear in this high-profile, national showcase.
“Indictment is a lead fall title from Aevo UTP, the trade imprint we launched three years ago,” says Jane Kelly, Director, Sales & Marketing. “Having Indigo pick it as one of their Most Anticipated Canadian Books is, above all else, a testament to the elegance of Ben Perrin’s writing and the importance of the topic to all Canadians. It also suggests that we’re on the right track towards publishing general interest non-fiction by emerging thought leaders. We’re delighted and honoured, on both counts.”
For this book, Perrin interviewed over 70 survivors of crime, people who were incarcerated, and justice system insiders and investigators, combining their voices with the latest research. “I learned more from their heartrending stories than in over 20 years of professional experience,” he says. Indictment proposes a bold new transformative justice vision that reviewers are calling “revolutionary.”
ABOUT INDICTMENT:
Do we need more cops or something else? Harm reduction or treatment? Tougher sentences or prison abolition? The debate about Canada’s criminal justice system has rarely been so polarized – or so in need of fresh ideas.
Benjamin Perrin conducted extensive interviews with survivors, incarcerated people, and legal insiders to uncover why the criminal justice system is facing such an existential crisis. Indictment dismantles the “tough on crime” agenda – one Perrin once advanced as former lead public safety and criminal justice advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper – and, instead, proposes a bold new transformative justice vision.
Bringing forward the voices of marginalized people, along with their stories of survival and resilience, Indictment makes it plain that we need to establish better, trauma-based ways to address harm in society.
Publication Date: October 3, 2023
Hardcover | ISBN: 9781487506278 | $32.95
BENJAMIN PERRIN is a law professor at the University of British Columbia. He has served in the Prime Minister’s Office as in-house legal counsel and lead policy advisor on criminal justice and public safety. He was also a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada. He is a national best-selling author of Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis. For more information, visit: www.benjaminperrin.ca
University of Toronto Press (UTP) is one of the largest university presses in North America, publishing landmark scholarship since 1901. Each year UTP releases over 200 new scholarly, course, and general interest books in both print and ebook format and over 45 journals. In addition, UTP manages the distribution for over 200 publishers and imprints in Canada, the US, and around the world, with warehouses in Toronto, Ontario and Buffalo, New York. UTP also runs all of the University of Toronto Bookstores across the three main campuses, serving over 95,000 students and 15,000 faculty. For more information, please visit utorontopress.com.
Aevo UTP books delve into major issues facing today’s world. Written by leading experts and intended for the intellectually curious, these titles tackle a range of topics, including the climate crisis, urban development, and mental health. Drawn from the University of Toronto’s coat of arms, “Aevo” loosely translates to “passing through time.” Aevo UTP books put the present in context and bring the future into focus.
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Complimentary review copies of Indictment are available upon request.
Benjamin Perrin and Jane Kelly are available for interviews.