Law and Society students will visit the old prison of Trois-Rivières which was built in 1822-1823. The prison is now part of the musée québécois de culture populaire. The visit includes a group session with an ex-convict who will describe the harsh reality of prison life in the 1970s and 1980s, just before the prison closed its doors.

The visit also integrates a special activity where the students play the role of jurors in a mock murder trial of a man accused of murder in the 1920’s. Based on a crime that was committed in Trois-Rivières at the beginning of the 20th century, students will be called upon to deliberate and reach a verdict in the Lamontagne trial. To help students reach a fair and impartial verdict, the jury will be able to look at crime scene photos, handle objects that were entered as evidence by the Crown and watch a short film of the accused and the main witnesses who testified during this case. The court clerk will then ask for a unanimous decision: guilty or not guilty? If students decide upon a guilty verdict, the accused will be hanged! This experience will test students’ ethics and sense of fairness.