The judicial system occupies an important place in society, yet it has been one of the least studied of Canadian institutions. Traditionally, examination and criticism of the trial process have been left to lawyers and members of the legal profession. In this volume nine non-lawyers scrutinize its operation in Canada from the perspectives of several academic disciplines.

Reginald Allen, a philosopher and classicist, discusses the modern trial process in the light of the trial of Socrates; Anatol Rapoport, a mathematician noted for his work in the fields of game theory and conflict resolution, analyses the adversary system from Charles Hanly, a philosopher and psychoanalyst, uses the Truscott case to explore the psychopathological aspects of a trial from a Freudian viewpoint; one political scientist, Peter Russell, examine the courts' role in the development of the law; another, Donald Smiley, studies their role as protector of civil liberties; James Giffen, a sociologist, points out the inadequacy of the criminal justice system as a means of controlling alcohol and drug addiction; Donald Dewees, an economist, examines court regulation of economic behaviour; and Kenneth McNaught, a historian, discusses the political trial in the Canadian legal system.