DIY Justice

This episode was originally published on November 22, 2019.

We have systems in place to bring justice to those who've been wronged. But we also know these systems aren't perfect, and even when a decision is meted out, it may not feel like justice to some. This week, Piya asks: Where do you turn when you believe the justice system has failed?

Here are the stories from this week's episode...

How one artist dealt with the aftermath of her alleged rape

Last year, Stephanie Montgomery was working as a dancer at a strip club in Los Angeles, both to pay her bills and help fund what she really wanted to do: establish a career as an artist. But her plan took a dark turn, when she alleges she was raped by a client. She reported it to her manager and to local police. But after an investigation, no charges were laid. Montgomery speaks with Piya about how she turned to her art and created a striking billboard to proclaim her truth.

An Ottawa mother's legal battle against tech giants to access her deceased son's digital accounts

In 2014, Maureen Henry's son Dovi went missing while attending university in Toronto. After his body was found in Lake Ontario, a police investigation found no foul play... but his death was ruled "inconclusive". Henry tells Piya about why she's decided to fight for access to Dovi's digital accounts, hoping they'll contain clues about what really happened to her son.

This detective created a think tank to change how cold cases get solved

Michael Arntfield has always been interested in cold cases, so much so that he made solving crime his profession by becoming a police officer. But he became disillusioned as a young detective when he met barriers that kept him from working on those cold cases. He speaks with Piya about how that led him to create an unsolved crimes think tank to change how they get solved.