Annual Saul Goldstein Memorial Lecture
Join us in-person or online for the Annual Saul Goldstein Memorial Lecture taking place on Thursday, November 6th at 5:00 PM. Dr. Owusu-Bempah will speak on "When Justice Shapes Health: Addressing Racial Inequities in Canada’s Criminal Justice System." This event is co-sponsored by Woodsworth College and its Alumni Association.
In this lecture, Dr. Owusu-Bempah will examine how justice shapes health, focusing on the racial inequities that persist across policing, courts, and corrections in Canada. He highlights Canada’s Black Justice Strategy as a roadmap for addressing these disparities and advancing lasting, systemic change.
*Please note that in-person attendance is now sold out.*
Professor Akwasi Owusu-Bempah
Akwasi Owusu-Bempah BA (Carleton), MA, PhD (Toronto) is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto, an Affiliate Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and a Senior Fellow at Massey College.
Prof. Owusu-Bempah’s work examines the intersections of race, crime and criminal justice, with a particular focus on policing.
Prof. Owusu-Bempah is frequently sought out to provide commentary and advice to police agencies, government bodies, community organizations, and media outlets on matters relating to policing, justice and social inequality.
He frequently appears on radio and TV and publishes regularly in academic and popular forums.
Prof. Owusu-Bempah’s is the (co)author of Race, Ethnicity, Crime and Justice: An International Dilemma (Routledge, 2020 with Shaun Gabbidon), Waiting to Inhale: Race, Cannabis and the End of Prohibition (MIT Press, 2023 with Tahira Rehmatullah) and Ancillary Police Powers in Canada: A Critical Reassessment (UBC Press, 2024 with Burchill, Jochelson and Skolnik).
His research has been published in academic journals such as Policing and Society, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry and The International Journal of Drug Policy.
His work has recently been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Guardian, and The Globe and Mail.