Evidently, there is a growing representation of Indigenous people in the prison system compared to the Canadian population. The indigenous population in Canada was 1,673,785 people as of 2016, or 4.9% of the national population.
Indigenous Incarceration Rates Canada
Aboriginals account for 4% of the Canadian population, but within the federal corrections population, they represent 20% of the total incarcerated offender population. Aboriginals account for 32.6% of the total women offender population. This means that 1 out 3 federally imprisoned women are of Aboriginal descent. They represent the quickest growing offender population. As of April 2010, there were 164 Aboriginal women serving federal sentences. Moreover, the increase in incarceration rate is not expected to decrease anytime soon. Over the last 10 years we’ve seen a 90% increase in Indigenous women in prisons. In 2013, Aboriginals offenders saw an increase of 793 people. For blacks it was a 585 increase and for Asians 337 (Office of the Correctional Investigator 2013). The disparity rises between Caucasian offenders and Aboriginals, where Caucasian saw a decrease of 466 offenders. An executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Institute, says, ” Indigenous women are statistically over-represented in Sudbury’s jail. Clearly, aboriginal incarceration statistics are too high.
On a more positive note, representatives from the Elizabeth Fry Institute are providing support and counselling to these women in Sudbury prison. There is one native liaison officer who provides Aboriginal – specific cultural programs. “But that is one person for the entire jail, which I believe has about 170 people who are incarcerated there.” – Cory Rosalyn, executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Institute in northeastern Ontario. Roslyn says when Indigenous women go to federal prison, they are more likely to be classified as maximum security and are more likely to be denied bail or parole.
“The federal system is just not designed to support people in general, but women specifically, to be successful upon release,” she said.
So the Indigenous overrepresentation in the Canadian prison system is clearly indicated. On a systemic level how are these issues addressed? Over the last 10 years there was a 90% increase in female offenders while males only 17%. The injustice faced by these women must be recognized by the growing number of these women in Canadian prisons, and the conditions in which they struggle with. For Indigenous people they make up only 5% of the Canadian population but 30% of all incarcerations.
Talking about Change in Systemic Racism
Knowing that the numbers speak for themselves, there must actions and not just talk. RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki was asked in 2020 about the systemic racism. She skirted the issue and spoke of “unconscious bias” among the members of the police force. That’s an excuse and is not a good enough answer to a bad problem. Lucki later did admit that that systemic racism reflects the inequities in institutional structures.
Burston, formerly with Christian Horizons and a founder of the non-profit organization True North Aboriginal Partnership, notes it has been difficult to persuade Canadians that there is systemic discrimination in Canadian society. How can Indigenous people and blacks be recognized as human-beings with dignity in communities and the prison system? The criminal justice system must be transformed from the ground up. “The entire system works against Native people,” says Pam Palmater, a lawyer of Mi’kmaq descent. “The over-criminalization of Indigenous people in Canada has been a direct result of racism for generations.” Hopefully, the over-representation of Indigenous and blacks in our prison system can be more of a focus moving forward.