2 A habeas corpus application is used by persons who feel they are being wrongfully detained. Upon application, the individual is brought before a judge who will determine whether the detainment is lawful. Provincial courts must hear these applications quickly.
A writ of habeas corpus orders the custodian of an individual in custody to produce the individual before the court to make an inquiry concerning his or her detention, to appear for prosecution (ad prosequendum) or to appear to testify (ad testificandum).
1 Habeas Corpus translates to “produce the body”. 2 A habeas corpus application is used by persons who feel they are being wrongfully detained. Upon application, the individual is brought before a judge who will determine whether the detainment is lawful. Provincial courts must hear these applications quickly.
The right of habeas corpus essentially protects a prisoner's right to indicate whether or not their constitutionally guaranteed rights to fair treatment during a trial have been infringed upon. This concept originated in the 1200s as part of the Magna Carta, which stated, “No man shall be arrested or imprisoned…
The writ of habeas corpus is the great remedy of the citizen or subject against arbitrary or illegal imprisonment; it is the mode by which the judicial power speedily and effectually protects the personal liberty of every individual, and repels the injustice of unconstitutional laws and despotic governments.
Section 10 of the Charter states that “every one has the right on arrest or detention…to have the validity of the detention determined by way of habeas corpus and to be released if the detention is not lawful.”1 This right can be suspended by legislation.
Regardless, the writ of habeas corpus evolved in medieval English courts where a sheriff could be served with the writ. A court could then order the release of that prisoner if it was found he or she was being held without cause.
809, the majority of the Supreme Court stated that “habeas corpus is a crucial remedy in the pursuit of two fundamental rights protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: (1) the right to liberty of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in ance with the principles of ...
The right to file a petition for writ of habeas corpus is guaranteed by the California constitution. In order to be eligible to petition for such relief, the petitioner must be “in custody,” either actually or constructively.
Habeas corpus has certain limitations. The petitioner must present a prima facie case that a person has been unlawfully restrained. As a procedural remedy, it applies when detention results from neglect of legal process, but not when the lawfulness of the process itself is in question.