Series GR-3632 - Criminal Justice Branch Headquarters operational records

Title and statement of responsibility area

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Criminal Justice Branch Headquarters operational records

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  • textual record
  • graphic material
  • moving images
  • sound recording
  • electronic
  • multiple media

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  • Source of title proper: Title based on contents of series

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GR-3632

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Date(s)

  • 1970-2008 (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

97 m of textual records, colour photographs, VHS cassettes, audio cassettes, floppy disks, and CDs.

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Archival description area

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Biographical history

One of the primary functions of the Criminal Justice Branch of the Ministry of Attorney General is to prosecute offences under the Criminal Code of Canada, the Young Offenders Act, provincial statutes and certain municipal bylaws in Provincial, Supreme, and Appeal Courts of British Columbia, as well as in the Supreme Court of Canada. The Branch also carries out other functions, such as providing legal advice on criminal law to police and government bodies, and developing policies and procedures on issues relating to the prosecution of criminal cases.
Criminal Justice Branch Headquarters administers the province’s Crown Counsel system and oversees the interprovincial transfer of criminal charges and notifications under certain provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada. The Branch also assists members of the public by responding to queries, a function that is coordinated through CJB Headquarters, and by preparing documents to assist individuals appearing as witnesses in court. Headquarters also works with Crown Counsel to analyze legislation and participate in federal and provincial committees and task forces. The Criminal Justice Branch maintains a Headquarters in Victoria as well as 37 regional offices which are arranged across five broad regions (Vancouver Island, Vancouver, Fraser, Interior, and Northern) . Each region also maintains a CJB Regional Crown Counsel office.
Since 1991, the Criminal Justice Branch has been under the auspices of the Deputy Attorney General’s Office.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The series consists of operational records of the Criminal Justice Branch Headquarters created between 1970 and 2008. The records consist of correspondence, reports, court documents, photographs, sound and moving picture records, and electronic records created across the province. The series documents policy and procedures on matters relating to criminal and social regulatory laws and their enforcement, and includes analyses of new and established legislation and the prosecutions of offenses prohibited under the federal Criminal Code, provincial statutes, and municipal bylaws. The series provides evidence of interactions between British Columbians and their criminal justice system, and documents the development of, and changes in, the criminal justice system in British Columbia. The records were created in the course of the Branch’s activities of providing legal advice on criminal law to government and to the police, and in developing policies, procedures, and programs on issues of criminal law and relating to the prosecution of criminal cases.

Although the records relate to a variety of topics, they have been treated as one series. The records arrived at the Archives largely interfiled, and there is evidence to suggest that the files were maintained in one central filing system at the Criminal Justice Branch Headquarters. In order to assist researchers, a high-level subject index has been created for the boxes. This should not be treated as exhaustive, and researchers are strongly advised to consult the file list.

The series is arranged loosely by broad topic. Records relating to one particular case or aspect of the BC justice system are often grouped together, although there are multiple groupings of the same type of record spread across the accession. Records dealing with Aboriginal hunting and fishing offences are generally arranged alphabetically by name of alleged offender. Many of the records were arranged alphabetically by subject in multiple groupings. Records in accession 91-0129 were arranged by file number rather than by topical grouping.

Audio-visual records were removed from their original files and placed in containers 910132-0013, 910132-0014, and 910132-0118 for preservation purposes, and separation sheets have been included in these boxes to link the records with the original file. Printouts from CDs and floppy disks have generally been included alongside the electronic media in the original file, with the notable exception of records relating to the Nanaimo Commonwealth Holdings Society and the Jericho Hill investigation, which were too extensive to be placed with the original media. These have been placed in box 910132-0475.

Records in this series were created in accordance with the Attorney General Act (RSBC 1996, c. 22) and are covered by schedule 880699 of the Operational Records Classification System. In 2005, the records were deemed to be eligible for full retention.

Notes area

Physical condition

The series includes many electronic records, the vast majority of which were accessible as of November 2017. Physical copies have been made where possible.

Immediate source of acquisition

Transferred from the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General (Criminal Justice Branch) in October 2016.

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Restrictions on access

These records are restricted. Please contact the BC Archives for information about access

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General note

Accession number(s) : 91-0129, 91-0132

Physical description

Contains 96.3 m of interfiled textual records, electronic records (5 ¼ inch floppy disks, 3 ½ inch floppy disks), colour photographs, audio cassettes and VHS

Conservation

Floppy disks were examined by the archivist and printouts were made of the contents whenever possible. Printouts were included in the original file, or were placed in container 910132-0475 if they were too large to be filed. A full report on the condition of the floppy disks is available in the accession file at the BC Archives.

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