Danny O'Rourke-DiCarlo
Danny O’Rourke-DiCarlo serves as a Lecturer and Teaching Practitioner in Public Policy and Criminology, holding a Long-Service Teaching Appointment (LSTA) within the School of Public Policy and Administration. His scholarship undertakes a critical examination of the multifaceted dynamics that uphold or undermine public trust in Canadian public institutions, with a particular focus on the durability and operational significance of constitutional norms. Anchored by his dual role as an educator and intellectual leader, Danny’s research adopts an ethnographic methodology, incorporating extensive qualitative interviews to investigate the administration and enforcement mechanisms within the Canadian criminal justice system. Through direct engagement with frontline practitioners—including police officers, judges, justices of the peace, Crown prosecutors, and defence counsel—his pedagogical approach sheds light on the complex institutional cultures and decision-making processes that fundamentally influence tangible outcomes within the justice system.
In addition to presenting annually at leading international conferences focused on justice, legal, and constitutional studies, Danny’s doctoral and ongoing research critically examines the contested role of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in legitimizing law, administration, and enforcement within the criminal justice system. Drawing on deliberative democracy and discourse theory of law, his work interrogates the Charter as both a normative framework and a site of judicial review that fundamentally shapes constitutional norms. He analyses the paradoxes and tensions inherent in the Charter’s application—how it simultaneously advances procedural fairness, evidentiary standards, and rights protections across policing, prosecution, adjudication, and defence, while remaining subject to divergent interpretations and contestation by frontline justice actors.
Beyond scholarship, Danny has played an instrumental role in curriculum design and delivery at the University of Toronto, University of Guelph, and University of Guelph-Humber, contributing to both undergraduate and professional Justice Studies programs. His work has fostered sustained partnerships with law enforcement agencies, including the Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, bridging academic inquiry and frontline practice.
Danny has held research positions with the Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime and Security and the York Centre for Practical Ethics, collaborating on government-funded projects addressing ethical governance and oversight in security sectors. He has also provided expert deputations on the socio-political and ethical implications of security commodification and artificial intelligence in policing for Peel Region.
Currently, as a principal investigator and educational consultant, Danny advances interdisciplinary research on technology-driven education and skills assessment aimed at supporting at-risk youth and adults navigating career transitions, promoting resilience and systemic reform at the intersection of education and justice.
His publications include contributions on policing ethics, and he has served as faculty advisor for the YU Criminological Review. While deeply committed to research, Danny’s greatest passion lies in teaching, a commitment recognized through multiple teaching awards and many nominations for the LA&PS Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.