How can a racially based system even be called “justice”? Provincial justice ministers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are urgently calling on the federal government to “convene a bail reform summit to address the increasing level of violence faced by Canadians.” Other provincial justice ministers have voiced similar concerns. What is going on? The immediate concern…
Experts to examine systemic problems, make evidence-based recommendations
A research team led by a University of Alberta scholar has received nearly $2.5 million in new federal funding for a national research project aimed at reforming the Canadian justice system. The team, headed by sociologist Sandra Bucerius and including the United Way and academic experts on the court and prison systems from across Canada, was awarded a Partnership Grant from…
Corrections institutions are merely holding facilities with few effective rehabilitative programs. They must have programs for safe, effective reintegration
An analysis by the CBC covering two decades of homicide statistics for Winnipeg reveals a major shift in the types of weapons used. It’s happening across the country. Winnipeg had 44 homicides in 2019, more than in any other previous 10-year period. Police seized 1,771 guns in 2018, up from 1,195 in 2017 and 825…
We need to to treat the crisis of a growing prison population as a public health challenge rather than the narrower response being advocated
Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth has a typical challenge on his hands: crime is up, resources are stretched and more money is needed. Behind the scenes, he must also be seen as preserving the interests of his officers and the police association. The Winnipeg Police Board and municipal politicians have their perpetual challenges: be perceived…
Not all the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report recommendations stand up to scrutiny
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIW) report declares that violence against Indigenous women is genocide. But do the recommendations stand up to scrutiny? Already, a Senate committee is at work dealing with some the report’s 200-plus recommendations, as part of the Senate’s study of an omnibus criminal justice act, Bill C-75. One…
Indigenous women are vastly over-represented among those sentenced to life
What’s wrong with mandatory minimum sentences? Plenty. Especially when it comes to murder. High-profile serial murderers come to mind when Canadians think of murder convictions: Bernardo, Olson, Pickton. Few turn their minds to the 18-year-old Indigenous teen who kills her abusive drug dealer. Such a situation can amount to murder in our law. When it…
Canadian governments continue to allow the operation of a justice system constructed on a foundation of systemic racism
The ’60s Scoop never ended – only the destination changed. Instead of sending Indigenous children to white families, the government has sent a generation of Indigenous children to jail. It must end. Not long ago, First Nations people ‘caught’ leaving their reserve would be arrested and thrown in jail. Even more recently, Indigenous children were…
From prison reform to better community services that address poverty and prevent crime, here's what Canada can do
By Sen. Raymonde Saint-Germain and Sen. Art Eggleton Over the last decade, the number of women in Canada’s jails has spiked by 30 per cent. Even more troubling, Indigenous female prisoners now account for 37 per cent of all incarcerated women, and 50 per cent of women in maximum security. According to the 2017 correctional…
Time in custody offers a perfect opportunity to intervene and prevent health issues from arising after release
The tragic stories of Ashley Smith, Edward Snowshoe and other inmates who have died in Canadian correctional facilities have rightly made headlines. Less well known are the premature deaths of hundreds of Canadians every year from preventable causes after they are released from jails and prisons. Canadians might be surprised to learn that many health…