Legacy
Justice
30. We call upon federal, provincial, and territorial governments to commit to eliminating the overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in custody over the next decade, and to issue detailed annual reports that monitor and evaluate progress in doing so.
As of the 2016/17 census, almost half of youth in Canadian corrections facilities were Aboriginal - whereas Aboriginal youth accounted for only 8% of Canada's total youth population. And, while Indigenous folks account for less than 5% of Canada's total population, they represented nearly 30% of our prison population according to the same census. Additionally, Indigenous women are the fastest growing prison population in the country.
The function of today's Call is clear: to help Indigenous folks avoid being incarcerated in the first place by addressing systemic issues in our criminal justice system and offering support programs to those most at risk.
While the federal government has been taking steps toward honouring this Call, a lot of the programs being created are simply replacing old ones with the same mandates and level of funding. One approach which has seen a rise in use is restorative justice, which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large. Meanwhile, as of yet, no commitment has been made to provide annual reports on the progress of this particular Call.
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