The Factors That Lead An Individual Towards Gang Involvement

According to Monchalin (2016), the affects of colonization and treatment of Indigenous community’s correlates to the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system. Furthermore, stating Aboriginal people are susceptible to risk factors, which can result in crime. Monchalin (2016), defines risk factors as influences which increase the probability of being exposed to victimization or crime. Risk factors present in Aboriginal communities include marginalization, systemic racism, lack of cultural identities, and dysfunctional, disorganized families (Monchalin, 2016). Residential schools are notoriously known for their role in producing immensely negative affects on Aboriginal people for decades, which has been detrimental within communities and has lead to the vast overrepresentation in the criminal justice system. The Office of the Correctional Investigator (2016), states in 2016, the number of Aboriginal people represented in Canadian federal institutions had reached 25 percent, whereas the aboriginal population itself only reflects 4.3 percent of Canada’s total population. To what extent has residential schools influenced the current issues concerning overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canadian Prisons? Residential schools have had an instrumental role in hindering Aboriginal male’s ability to succeed in society, thus leading to the mass incarceration of First

The number of aboriginal women in Canadian prisons is on the rise, women of aboriginal descent now make up more than 35 per cent of the female prison population, and Aboriginal women represent about four per cent of the general population. The overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system has long captured attention in Canada. Many factors such as finically poor, instable housing, households with only mothers with children, low education and disordered social network systems are associated with the commission of crime in neighbourhoods. This paper will argue that the over-representation of Aboriginal women can be explained by their underprivileged position in both socioeconomic

Previous studies of the realities faced by the systematically disadvantaged Aboriginal peoples of Canada have emphasized the crippling impact of non- Aboriginal ignorance of these facts, making addressing these conditions of life for Aboriginals impossible (Schaefli 2012, p. 1) and easily maintained through colonialization. As discussed in this course, colonialization and systematic discrimination against Aboriginal peoples has resulted in their overrepresentation in Canadian incarceration institutions (Comack, 2014, pp. 116-142). To expand on this concept, it is my intention to argue that the Canadian Legal system has historically, and continues to, internally and sexually colonized Aboriginal peoples in Canada, suppressing their livelihood, cultures and communities. The political and legislative approaches of Canada’s provincial and federal government are the root of Aboriginal peoples’ historically subordinate political and socio-economic position within Canadian society. In the following essay, I will argue this claim by drawing on the history of containment, displacement, and assimilation of Aboriginal peoples in Eastern dominating Canadian society. I will also discuss and analyze the devastating situations of Aboriginal women, which emerged with the sexual colonialization of Aboriginal peoples sanctioned by the Canadian government and justice system. I will do this by providing historical and statistical evidence from scholarly sources regarding the impacts of

Shockingly, “Aboriginal offenders constitute 3% of the adult Canadian population but account for approximately 20% of admissions into custody and probation” (Gutierrez, 2014). Such an inordinate reality may have span from violent past Canadian-Aboriginal relations; which gave rise to the marginalization of Native people. This marginalization led to there being higher counts of criminogenic behaviours amongst Aboriginals and thus resulted in their overrepresentation in the justice system, and higher rates of recidivism. Although the hardships they once have endured for the most part have ended, their communities offenders are still socially, culturally, and economically marginalized (Gutierrez,

Canada is portrayed as a country of peace and equality, however there is a dark history of genocide that is often forgotten by Canadians. In this essay I would like to explore Canada’s cultural genocide of the aboriginal and first nations people and how it differs from a regular genocide. Genocide is defined as the killing or extermination of a group of people. The word comes from the Greek word geno, which means race. Also the latin word cide, which means to kill. (Julia Rappaport, Facing today). It is a word that has been misused in many cases. In the case of what Canada has done to the first nations and aboriginal people, this can be applied. However this case of genocide differs

Homicides, sexual violence and violent crimes are particularly troubling for those on First Nations reserves. “Between 1997 and 2000, Aboriginal people were 10 times more likely to be accused of homicide than were non-Aboriginal people (11.2 accused persons per 100,000 Aboriginal population compared to 1.1 accused persons per 100,000 non-Aboriginal population). On-reserve crime rates in 2004 were about three times higher than rates in the rest of Canada (28,900 per 100,000 population on reserve compared to 8,500 per 100,000 population in the rest of Canada). The difference was even greater for violent crime, with an on-reserve rate that was eight times the violent crime rate of the rest of the country (7,108 compared to 953 per 100,000 population).(10)” Unrelenting violence on their home communities along with severe addictions issues, poverty and housing conditions are forcing First Nations to leave. It is also forcing members who are arrested with addictions issues into new communities where they have no connections or support systems.

It is visible that the violence and discrimination experienced by Aboriginal women and girls in Canada is a national tragedy, which has sadly received meager attention in our nation. Native Women’s Association of Canada (2013) explained how this has tragically led to the number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada being excessively high. Systematic oppression and negligence from the Canadian Government to actively address this national tragedy were dominant themes that were illustrated by the absence of research and data available on this subject. Additionally, it was appalling to realize that no policies were established, but only politically charged strategies were recommended to confront this grave social problem.

Indigenous youth only represent 7% of the overall youth population in Canada, yet they made up 41% of all youth admissions to custody according to 2013-2014 corrections statistics, Indigenous women representing 53% of all female youth admitted into custody (Canadian Centre of Justice Statistics, 2014). This disproportionate representation of Indigenous women does not mean Indigenous women are inherently more criminal than females of another race, instead it the socio-econmoic inequalities, gender and a history of colonialism that is passed down generation to generation that is stacked against them and gets them involved in the criminal justice system. These intersectionalities are further elaborated in Julian Tanner’s book, Teenage Troubles: Youth and Deviance in Canada (2015) and in class lectures.

Throughout the history of Canada, we have acknowledged Indigenous cultures as being the first people of Canadian land. However, society has not treated them as equal members of society since the first explorers settled. The Euro-Canadian culture has impacted the Indigenous people negatively; as a result injustice between the two cultures has developed and inequality has widened as the two cultures interact more frequently. Lisa Monchalin (2016), author of the text The Colonial Problem: An Indigenous Perspective on Crime and Injustice in Canada, noted multiple reasons how Aboriginal people are discriminated against in society, and how they are over-represented in Canadian correctional system. In society, according to Aylsworth, L., and Trovato, F. (2012) of The Canadian Encyclopedia, the indigenous population was approximately 4.3% of the total Canadian population, yet, the 2015-2016 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator noted “an unabated increase in the number of Indigenous people behind bars, a rate now surpassing 25% of the total federal incarcerated population” (2016, n.p.). This raised the question as to why there was such a blatant over-representation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system. Indigenous history has been speckled with injustices, hardship, discrimination, racism, and have been on the receiving end of multiple attempts to rid Canada of Indigenous ways and people. The history of these

To further the report on the evolution of policing, in Harry Blagg’s “Crime, Aboriginality and the Deconstruction of Justice”, despite high incarceration rates, some forms of policing are still critical to any strategy to decrease the levels of violence within Indigenous communities. In fact, these communities want to see the police and to seek out their aid – of course, as long as they respect their local customs and norms while also prioritizing issues that are important in their community (75). The problem with giving the Indigenous people a form of security through the police is that there is a long history of a damaged and emotionally charged relationship between the two groups, with their own personal feelings towards each other (75). Specific policing practices only exasperate the issues further, such as the focus on the term, “The Aboriginal problem”, rather than the “Aboriginal people’s problems” (75). Such terms only enforce the notion that the police is a force to govern over their Indigenous communities rather than provide a service to their issues. Through enforcing more accountable and transparent policies within the police force, the strained relationship between the police and the Indigenous community can be addressed. The recruitment of

Canada is a country filled with a diverse population, in regards to both immigrants and those born within the country. However, it is undeniable that Canada was born on the land of the natives and that they are still a very integrated community within the country. As of 2011, the aboriginal population took 4.3% of the nation’s inhabitants, a 20.1% increase from 2001 (Statistics Canada, 2014). This translates to approximately 1.4 million citizens, but unfortunately, 23.2% of the federal inmates within the country are aboriginals (Office of the Correctional Investigator, 2013). There is an abnormally large amount of indigenous people behind bars, in which the incarnation rate for aboriginal offenders are ten times higher than an non-aboriginal

When the Canadian government set up residential schools in the 1870’s, they took away a major component of the Aboriginal people’s culture: family. The aims of these schools were to assimilate Aboriginal children and prepare them for living in a white society. Instead, they caused tremendous psychological abuse to not only the children being forced to leave their homes, but also to their guardians. After this traumatic event, many aboriginal people resorted to substance abuse in order to cope with their experience in these schools. One study reported “82 percent of individuals were involved in substance abuse behaviors after attending residential schools.” (Chansonneuve, 2007, p.22). I believe that there is a negative correlation between substance abuse and crime rates, as proven by various studies. A study conducted in 2005 showed that “alcohol or substance abuse problems [were] significantly associated with serious violent acts in the community.” (Swartz et al.,1998, pp.226-231). Many Indigenous detainees, who attributed their crime to alcohol, have also acknowledged this negative

The image of Canada as a nation can be represented by words like peaceful, stable, and multicultural. However, these notions do not illuminate the truth of Canadian-Aboriginal affairs. For centuries, the Canadian state has attempted to organize a political integration strategy of the First Nations within Canada through colonial legislative acts and political institutions. Thus, these acts force individuals within political institutions to promote colonial integration policies through relatively harsh and brutal means. A particular political institution that has been damaged from the colonization of legislative acts are the police institutions. Though, contemporary society has been educated and taught to believe in police institutions to promote fair and just protection, the reality of policing and the colonization of acts have created a disingenuous relationship with Canada’s Aboriginal population. Thus, Why does the relationship between the political institution of policing and Aboriginal peoples continue to decline? Furthermore, is it possible to have a mutual relationship where Aboriginal people and the police can cooperate and work with one another? Ultimately, the continued decline is a result of the colonization of legislative acts and their ambition to integrate Aboriginal peoples into Canadian society. Therefore, it is the purpose of this essay to examine and analyze the historical formation of the RCMP, the historical relationship among police and Aboriginal, the

Canada’s Aboriginal population plays a significant role in our country’s history, so it is understandably devastating for any harm to befall such an integral portion of our population. As it stands, there has been a statistically significant increase in violent crimes committed against Aboriginal people over the past few decades (Walkom, 2017). More specifically, Indigenous women and girls go missing from their homes or are the victims of homicide at a much higher rate than the rest of the population.

The mistreatment of the Aboriginal population in Canada can historically be dated back to when the first ship arrived during the colonial expansion of the British empire. As Canada grew its nation and population, the maltreatment of aboriginals grew with it. For over a