Truscott Lecture in Justice 2024

Join Commissioner Anne Kelly as she reflects on the Canadian criminal justice system. From her unique vantage of a 40 year career in corrections, Anne Kelly became the ninth commissioner in 2018, and the second woman commissioner in Canada.

"Although there are times when it may seem that the crucial role CSC plays in contributing to public safety is not fully acknowledged, it is essential to remember that our work is integral to what is most valued in Canadian society: our freedom and our public safety."

Commissioner Anne Kelly
Correctional Service Canada

In 1980, Mary Dawson became the first female warden of an all-male prison. Only three years before Commissioner Kelly started working at CSC. Four decades later, having a woman as the head of the entire organization highlights the progress made in gender equity and has shaped Canadian criminal justice.  The day after she turned 17, Anne Kelly started her undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Ottawa with the goal of going into medicine. She took psychology as an elective and loved it! This prompted a change in career direction. Following her graduation with a Bachelor of Science, she completed the Master’s program in Criminology by the time she was 21. That summer, in 1983, she applied for a job as a Correctional Officer...her career took off with the Correctional Service Canada. “I’m proud of CSC. I’m proud of our staff. I’m proud of the work we do. I’m proud that there are people like us that find it important to work with the most troubled and challenging members of society. The work we do is important.” Correctional Service Canada 

The lecture series is part of the Truscott Initiative launched at U of G in 2009 to commemorate the struggles of Guelph resident Steven Truscott and his family.

Truscott is known across Canada for his decades-long battle to prove his innocence after the 1959 murder of his schoolmate Lynne Harper. He was wrongly convicted of the crime at age 14 and spent years in prison before his release in 1969. He was acquitted by the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2007.

The Truscott Initiative aims to improve understanding of the nation’s complex criminal justice system and to highlight how criminal justice intersects with other policy areas and broader conceptions of justice.

Registration is not required for this event.