Canada: Aboriginals/Minorities driving spike in prison population

OTTAWA - The number of Aboriginals in the federal prison system has increased by 46.4% over the last 10 years while other visible minorities increased by almost 75%, says a new report.

Meanwhile, the Caucasian population dropped 3%.

www.sunnewsnetwork.ca...

Liberals and Democrats are quick to attack the Conservative Gov't for expansion of the current Canadian prison systems, but hell.. We are a rapidly growing nation and not always attracting the good kinds of people.

Just as long as we don't go the way to privatize our entire system.


What do you make is the decrease in Caucasian prison sentencing? Are "whites" actually committing less crime? Less violent crime? Possibly just getting off easier? For a country that is about 80% Caucasian, you'd never expect a decrease with one race?

Also LOL:

"These are disturbing trends that raise important questions about equality and our justice system in Canada," says Sapers.

reply to post by CALGARIAN


Between mandatory minimum sentences and the expansion of the crminal code, it's no wonder why the poorest people in Canada are being thrown in jail at an increasing rate. The same thing happened and is still happening to African Americans in the US.

Our justice system rewards those who are financially better off and demonizes those of a the lower financial class.

~Tenth

i believe poverty would be the culprit in the numbers you have shown. human beings were never meant to lead lives as anything less than everyone else. take away jobs, opportunity, education and subsequently wealth and many undesirable things will happen.

i would imagine the unemployment rate for first nations is considerably higher than mainstream in your country.

Its gotta be those poor, natives and immigrants fault right, cant be cause the conservative government change who goes to jail for how long right, making minimum sentences for crimes that in the past only got penalties or house arrest right.

The native population is a separate issue. Oh man, that is a LONG discussion. As to the rest of "visible minorities" a large portion of those are from other countries. Sri Lankans bringing their war here. Jamaicans a lot of the same. Asians.... you get the idea. Then there's those that think that they can rule their families like they could back home. See Middle Eastern people and Eastern Europeans.

I'd like to see a graphic on the blacks. I'd bet they're mostly in Ontario. As for natives, well, they aint got no love for the man. It's a different culture. Personally, I like it up here. I'd also bet that Sikhs outside Ontario are about where whites are.
Ontario sucks.

eta: I'd also bet that off-reserve natives commit crimes at a much lesser rate. Native reserves seem analogous to the "perpetual welfare state"....it's so complicated, as another poster has said. Some day they'll get a balance of modern and traditional way worked out to their satisfaction. I can see it happening already. It's hard to have the patience to give it time.

How about this headline.

Serial killer gets 20 years for killing two aboriginal women in Manitoba

Lamb, who is 54, can apply for parole in nine years

Apparently two aboriginals lives are worth nine years. If the justice system thinks of them like that..just imagine what they do when it comes to sentencing aboriginal people. White man gets little time for murders of women..aboriginal person gets same amount of time for assault.

Aboriginal corrections report finds 'systemic discrimination'

As a aboriginal person myself, I have no doubt that there are people who deserve jail time. But they sentence our people for minor infractions..while allowing white people to walk for same charges.

It happens to many times..I love Canada..but the racism in our justice system is horrible.

historicaly there has allways been a disporportionate # of natives in prison. as noted by other posters the poorest people do the most prison time.
as for harpers cons ramping up the prison system and introducing mandatory minimums on various crimes is wrongheaded and will do no good, orginizations in the justice system from the u.s. including texas had warned harper not to go down this road as it has been tried and failed..its a dog and pony show
all this bovine scatology as the crime rate was decreasing. it all very uncanadian..harper has changed canada and definatly not for the better in alot of regards.

reply to post by intrepid


Yea like which group are you talking about. There are several native groups across Canada. My beef is the native communities all across America and Canada are the ones who are really oppressed. Highest drug, alcohol, suicide, you name it, unemployment, etc etc etc

Mostly they suffer in silence. I am sorry for the other minorities but they should stop whining. The native tribes had everything taken from them, many were driven into extinction. There exists no accurate numbers for those killed by disease alone. One thing you won't be told in the history books, that number was more than the Holocaust.

It is not even a foot note in the history books. Sad....

The Bot

reply to post by CALGARIAN


The Sun Newspaper is also being boycotted by First Nations across the country for ridiculous amounts of slander and racist remarks. I wouldn't trust their credibility. But, just my opinion. Thanks for the post though!

TextText RedText

Hello,
Makes many wonder, "How did them Indigenous people get themselves into prison in the first place?"
Was it the fault of someone else? Dad and Mom did not give them quality time? Were they abused, physically, mentally, spiritually?

Same time, no one put a weapon to their heads and said, "Okay! This is what you are going to do! Then, what if someone did do such a thing? how did they get into that kind of situation in the first place?
You see, only they know why and how they got to be in such a terrible predicament. Was it a bad choice, or in the wrong place at the wrong time?

So many questions society has about them Indigenous peoples from Conquered Nations.
My own opinion is that we all make choices and some are good and some are bad, we all have to pay the consequences whether it be by the current laws that govern us or when they leave Creation and answer to a higher power.

We try to make it so that the rest of them community's are safe, so that others may have a chance to live the best they can with whats available.
By living negative, it breeds negativity and creates cycles. Even today, many young think its acceptable behavior or a rite of some stupid passage, place to get respect!

What if, them Indigenous people try to live by traditional beliefs and ways? By doing that, they will not be doing bad things or become addicted with some kind of affliction, and assume everyone should feel sorry for them, pity!

Life lessons and common sense should tell them (others that have relatives in them prisons, jails or some kind of institutions) that if you live by believing that society owes you or you are above the law you are showing by your actions that you gave up, your spirit is broken and not able to cope with society's or communities and be a part of lives around you struggling to just live.

I may sound like I am a perfect human being, but I am not. I made mistakes and tried to learn from them bad choices, no one come along and held my hand or provided me with a alternative, I made my own decisions, free-will to be a better person, not just for myself but to show the Creator that I can learn and live, by doing that I set a example for my children and all I can do is hope and pray they make the right choices in this life we live.

People can change.

Dear Chachonee - I agree with you - we all make choices and have to live with the consequences.

I am not saying I condone or dismiss behavior by Natives. However you have to look at what's going on - their culture was ripped away from them. It was mass genocide across Canada. Children torn away from families and sexually, mentally and physically abused, told not to speak their own language and made to wear white people's clothes, learn white people's ways and live in institutions. Those that made it out of such places were destroyed spiritually, physically and culturally.

Not every Native is an alcoholic or into drugs, making bad choices. But if you look at the background of where the majority come from - it's from broken homes, poverty, alcoholism - the children have no role models as such, they don't have people in their family groups who can mentor them or make them feel safe.

One needs to understand the history of these people before generalizing them under one label. I'm not saying this what you are doing - I'm speaking about Canada as a whole and how many Canadians are racist and don't care to know why Natives are in the predicament that they are in.

A child only learns and knows how to be by the examples and environment they grow in. The huge majority of Natives in Canada don't have any kind of nurturing or healthy backgrounds - all they have are broken spirits that never learned to be independent and to make good choices.

All people care to know about Natives is how much money they take from the government. At least that is their perception. I know many Native people, from various tribes. If I hadn't had a loving and grounded mother who had a beautiful childhood I would have turned into the abusive and hating personality as my dad - but I learned there are two ways to live and see life. I chose the one that nurtured me and that showed me by example of how to further myself and not give into shame and despair.

Cheers!

tothetenthpower
reply to post by CALGARIAN

 

Between mandatory minimum sentences and the expansion of the crminal code, it's no wonder why the poorest people in Canada are being thrown in jail at an increasing rate. The same thing happened and is still happening to African Americans in the US.

Our justice system rewards those who are financially better off and demonizes those of a the lower financial class.

~Tenth

BONZAI!!!! Nice profile pic!
Firepiston

reply to post by ccseagull

Hello ccseagull
I am a Indigenous person from The Ho-Chunk Nation. I know all to well how our ways and beliefs were taken from us and how I go into a store and get followed, in fear that I might steal something. I could easily tell you true life stories of how bad it is for us, but same time that is not what we are about.
It is not just like that in Canada, its that way here in the United States. What I wanted to point out is that they made a choice and sure there may be some in them prisons by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but only thing we an do is pray for them, and pray they make better choices in life.
If everyone showed them pity and merci you are enabling them, other young Indigenous will see that and see a way to condone bad actions in life, like "its okay! We can be bad and life owes us!"

Hello Chachonee - ha, I thought you were, based on your name. I totally get what you're saying and I agree. I hope I didn't give that impression - that we should feel sorry for them and make it easier when they make mistakes. Everyone should be held accountable and make good decisions.

I have seen all sides: those who have risen above their circumstances and made a wonderful life for themselves, others who have made well known names and others who are just floating along with life, almost like they don't have choices. I have also seen my own family members (in-laws) say racist things and my discussing the matter doesn't make a dent - they are adament that Natives are ripping off the system. Some do - just like we whites do. We are all the same. But what I say is that we don't have the same background history and devastation as Natives in Canada and the States. It's a shame that people are so close minded and don't try to learn why a culture is suffering. It's a shame they don't just get to know other people just for the sake of knowing an individual for who they are. I find the justice system as close minded for the most part.

And the same punishment should be handed out to anyone who does a crime and ends up in prison - this double standard is so very wrong and I hope those handing out unjust sentences wake up and stop acting like a god that can decide how someone will be penalized based on the shell they see on the outside rather than what fits the crime.

To sidetrack just a bit - now with the tankers and pipelines the BC government is working to bring to the coast - the Natives are rallying to keep the waters and land safe. And all I hear is that they are simply trying to negotiate a big money deal.

Natives have a very high percentage of fetal alcohol syndrome which reduces their changes of having a fully functioning life. So they are already at a disadvantage and fall into drug and alcohol use. Many still live on reservations and so they don't have the same outside positive influences they could have, or outside opportunities to advance/interact.

But yes I totally agree with you. And next time you experience preconceived notions of people in a store - hold your head up high and remember we are all brothers and sisters and no one has the right to judge another for any reason.

Take care!