Podcast pick: Translating Criminal Law

Podcast pick: Translating Criminal Law

· The Pulse
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Translating Criminal Law allows you to learn about how criminal law works while eavesdropping on a delightful father-daughter relationship. Every two weeks, University of Alberta law professor Peter Sankoff explains various concepts to his daughter Penny, who was 11 when they started the podcast in January.

It's pointedly "rated G" given the age of Sankoff's co-host and presumably some of the audience, so you won't hear any true crime gore. Instead, you'll hear an age-appropriate but intelligent exploration of what a jury does, the presumption of innocence, or the stages of a criminal trial. They even brought in Supreme Court of Canada justice Rosalie Abella to explain the judge's role.

Most episodes define a "big word of the day" and a "Latin word of the day" related to the episode's theme. Once he delivers the explanation, Sankoff quizzes Penny (and you, the listener) on the concepts, so it really is a learning experience. Penny also gets a chance to school her dad on her areas of expertise, which include Ariana Grande and horseback riding.

The podcast has been written up by Folio and The Gateway and is getting good reviews. The co-hosts do a TikTok dance in celebration of download milestones, so there's another incentive to give it a spin.