AFN Chief Says Canada’s Correctional Investigator Report is Alarming

The AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde says a Correctional Investigator’s Report is an immediate call to action.

The Assembly of First Nation’s leader says the report by Dr. Ivan Zinger states Canada’s prisons are being “Indigenized”; filling up with Indigenous men and women at a rate surpassing 30 per cent. Indigenous people make up less than 5 per cent of the population.

Bellegarde also says the report indicates Indigenous women account for 42 per cent of the women inmate population in Canada.

The AFN Chief says they want to see immediate action to address systemic discrimination and institutional apathy. He also suggests a justice system that embraces First Nations legal traditions and puts First Nations laws on the same footing as civil and common law.

Perry Bellegarde says he wants to meet as soon as possible with the Correctional Investigator to discuss the report and what tangible steps he will set out for immediate action.

Measures recommended by the Office include:

– Transfer resources and responsibility to Indigenous groups and communities for the care, custody and supervision of Indigenous offenders.
– Appoint a Deputy Commissioner for Indigenous Corrections.
– Increase access and availability of culturally relevant correctional programming.
– Clarify and enhance the role of Indigenous elders.
– Improve engagement with Indigenous communities and enhance their capacity to provide reintegration services.
– Enhance access to screening, diagnosis and treatment of Indigenous offenders affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
– Develop assessment and classification tools responsive to the needs and realities of Indigenous people caught up in the criminal justice system.

In a news release issued Tuesday, Dr. Zinger concluded: “It is not acceptable that Indigenous people in this country experience incarceration rates that are six to seven times higher than the national average. Bold and urgent action is required to address one of Canada’s most persistent and pressing human rights issues.”