fb pixel
The University of Winnipeg

CJ Day 2026

Join us for CJ Day 2026, our annual thesis presentation event celebrating the hard work and research of Criminal Justice honours students! Happening on April 7th, 2026, from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM in room 2M70, this event is open to all – no registration required. 

EVENT PROGRAM:

 9:30-10:00 - Welcome

9:30am – Coffee & Pastries 

9:50am – Opening Remarks –– Dr. Amelia Curran

 

10:00-11:15

Session 1: Institutional Principles vs. Institutional Practices (Discussant: Dr. Bill Kirkpatrick)

  • Presentation 1: Renisse Ramkissoon, “Governing Campus Sexual Violence: Between Care and Control.” Supervisor Dr. Bronwyn Dobchuk-Land.
  • Presentation 2: Rylee Thibodeau, “Bail Reform in Canada: A Thematic Analysis of Reform Options Leading up to Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act.” Supervisor: Dr. Amelia Curran
  • Presentation 3: Shivkaran Singh Khaira, “The Blueprint of Invasion: colonial displacement through the Dharavi Redevelopment project.” Supervisor Dr. Alex Tepperman.
  • Discussion & Questions

 

11:15 -11:30 - Coffee break w/ snacks

 

11:30 – 12:30

 Session 2: Transforming Justice (Discussant: Dr. Katharina Maier)

  • Presentation 4: Hailey Branquinho, “A Sensory analysis of Anti-Colonial Protest in Winnipeg.” Supervisor Dr. Steven Kohm.
  • Presentation 5: Kaija Dueck, “Encampments, Rights, and Law: Judicial Approaches to Homelessness in Canadian Cities.” Supervisor: Dr. Katharina Maier.
  • Discussion & Questions

 

12:30-1:15 – Lunch

Sandwiches & veggies and dip.

 

1:15-2:30

 Session 3: Discrimination and the Distributions of Violence (Discussant: Dr. Bronwyn Dobchuk-Land)

  • Presentation 6: Vanessa Flood, “The Influence of the Spanking Case on Manitoba Court Decisions. Supervisor: Dr. Marcella Cassiano
  • Presentation 7: Ekas Bhatti, “Constructing Deviance: The Colonial Origins of Indigenous Stigmatization.” Supervisor: Dr. Marcella Cassiano
  • Presentation 8: Erin Alarilla, “An Evaluation of Reformed Canadian Caregiver Programs From 2014 to 2025.” Supervisor: Dr. Marcella Cassiano
  • Discussion & Questions

 

2:30 – 3:15

Closing remarks and ceremonies – Dr. Tepperman, Honour’s Chair
Photo of the 2025/26 Honour’s Cohort


PAPER ABSTRACTS:

Renisse Ramkissoon
Governing Campus Sexual Violence: Between Care and Control

This project examines how Canadian universities respond to campus sexual violence through institutional policy. While many policies describe themselves as “survivor-centred” and emphasize trauma-informed approaches, this research asks how these commitments are actually put in practice within policy frameworks. Specifically, how universities balance survivor autonomy with institutional responsibilities such as risk management, procedural fairness, and community safety. Using a qualitative comparative policy analysis of sexual violence policies from several Canadian universities, common patterns in how disclosure, reporting, investigations, and support services are structured have been identified. The analysis is informed by feminist institutionalism and institutional betrayal frameworks, which help to examine how institutional priorities shape the creation of survivor-centred principles. In its whole, this project explores how universities govern sexual violence through policy and the tensions that emerge between care, accountability, and institutional control.

 

Rylee Thibodeau
Bail Reform in Canada: A Thematic Analysis of Reform Options Leading up to Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act

My project examines bail reform in Canada by studying what reform options to the current system were most discussed leading up to the tabling of Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act. I use a thematic analysis of news articles to find the dominant opinions that are present in the media, especially at a time when bail reform is taking place both nationally and provincially. My findings are explained using a political lens.

Erin Alarilla

An Evaluation of Reformed Canadian Caregiver Programs From 2014 to 2025

 Summary Paragraph: Canada has been recruiting immigrants, most of whom are women from the Philippines, to work as caregivers for over a century now. This project examines the reforms of Canadian immigration caregiver programs since the termination of the Live-In Caregiver Program which has operated from 1992 to 2014. To investigate whether the most recent reform in 2025 has addressed the concerns about the first reform of the program in 2014, a policy analysis was conducted on the Ministerial Instructions published by the Canada Gazette. The instructions were coded and organized based on justification for reform, target population, and instructions of which were provided. This project draws from the concept of the Global Care Chain in order to analyze the findings and identify whether the new reforms have addressed the concerns surrounding the former ones.

 

Hailey Branquinho

A Sensory analysis of Anti-Colonial Protest in Winnipeg.

This project uses a sensory ethnographic analysis to study the sensory atmospheres of anti- colonial protests and sites of protest in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The aim is to see what the sensory atmospheres of these environments can say about colonialism in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

 

Kaija Dueck
Encampments, Rights, and Law: Judicial Approaches to Homelessness in Canadian Cities

 My thesis examines how judges conceptualize homeless encampments in Canadian cities. Specifically, I ask what factors influence judicial decision-making in encampment litigation. To analyze judicial reasoning, I draw on Mariana Valverde’s socio-legal framework on urban governance, which explores how law, cities, and power relations intersect in everyday life. My data consists of Canadian legal cases since 2020 that address issues relating to encampments, tent cities, and conflicts over public space. Findings were gathered through using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis to identify patterns in judicial reasoning.

 

Vanessa Flood
The Influence of the Spanking Case on Manitoba Court Decisions.
I am exploring how the legal parameters set by the 2004 Supreme Court Spanking Case influences the application of reasonable force to correct a child's behavior under Section 43 of the Criminal Code. I will do this by reviewing 6 Manitoba Court cases after the 2004 decision. The two theoretical lens I see helping me to make sense of my findings are: Foucauldian and a Durkheimian lenses.

 

Naomi Silver

Digital Antisemitism: A Comparative Study of Discourse on X Before and After October 7

Looking at antisemitic hate speech on X
This project asks, how did the form and expression of antisemitic discourse shift on X (formerly twitter) before and after October 7? I use a content analysis of X as my source of data.

I analyze my findings using social identity theory.

 

Ekas Bhatti
Constructing Deviance: The Colonial Origins of Indigenous Stigmatization.
This research examines how colonial institutions in Canada historically constructed stigma toward Indigenous peoples. Specifically, the study analyzes the 1880 Annual Report of the Department of Indian Affairs as a primary historical document to understand how colonial administrators portrayed Indigenous identity, morality, and social behavior. Drawing on sociological theories of deviance, stigma, and labelling, this project examines how colonial authorities acted as “moral entrepreneurs,” constructing Indigenous practices and identities as deviant. Methodologically, the research uses qualitative thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis to examine patterns of language, moral judgments, and representations in the report. The goal is to reveal how colonial administrative discourse contributed to the long-term stigmatization and marginalization of Indigenous peoples within Canadian institutions and society.

 

Shivkaran Singh Khaira
The Blueprint of Invasion: colonial displacement through the Dharavi Redevelopment project.
I am arguing that the Political discourse, novel Dalit anti-violence legislation, and Media acquisition and narratives surrounding the Dharavi Redevelopment are indicative of a Hindu Nationalist invasion to control the economic potential of Dharavi rather than improve the lives of Dalits who call it home. And that elements of the Redevelopment project coalesce to create a blueprint of action that Narendra Modi's BJP and their close corporate ally The Adani Group will use to invade and dismantle Dalit (and other marginalized caste groups) areas of residence.