“No amount of tinkering with prisons can heal the before-prison lives of the Aboriginal women who live or have lived within their walls. Prison cannot remedy the problem of the poverty of reserves. It cannot deal with immediate or historical memories of the genocide the Europeans worked upon our people. It cannot remedy violence, alcohol abuse, sexual assault during childhood, rape and other violence Aboriginal women experience at the hands of men. Prison cannot heal the past abuse of foster homes, or the indifference and racism of Canada's justice system in its dealings with Aboriginal people. However, these things ARE the realities of the lives that Aboriginal women prisoners have led”.
(Sugar and Fox, 1990)
Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator 2013-2014 Link to Free Access: http://www.oci-bec.gc.ca/cnt/rpt/pdf/annrpt/annrpt20132014-eng.pdf In the most recent report published by the office of the correctional investigator, chapters four and five deal directly with statistics surrounding Aboriginal offenders, and women prisoners. The information provided in this report highlights how serious of a crisis the over-representation of Aboriginal peoples (women in particular) in Canadian prisons truly is. According to Sapers’ report, over the past decade, the number of Aboriginal women sentenced to prison time has increased by an astonishing 112% (p. 2), with this group of women now representing over 33% of the total female inmate population (p. 45). This is an incredibly disproportionate number given the fact that ALL Aboriginal peoples combined (including men and women) represent less than 4% of the national population (p. 44). Even more harrowing is the acknowledgement of the fact that during this same period, the number of Caucasian inmates has actually declined by over 3%. Statistics such as these leave one questioning how “just” our criminal justice system actually is… -C.L.M “A Nation is not conquered until the hearts of
its women are on the ground. Then it is done, no matter how brave its warriors nor how strong its weapons." - Cheyenne Saying "Warehousing Indigenous Women" by Martha Troian
Link: http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/warehousing/ “Warehousing Indigenous Women” is a compelling photographic essay created by Martha Troian which tells the story of Kinew James, an indigenous woman who recently died while incarcerated in Saskatoon, after guards refused to respond to the pleas for help coming from her cell. This essay is powerful. Through a combination of images and text, Troian is able to bring to light not only the tragic story of James’ silencing, but also the systemic violence Aboriginal women face in Canada, and the lasting impact this has at both the individual and community level. -C.L.M Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies Website (www.caefs.ca)
Fact Sheets Link: http://www.caefs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Aboriginal-Women.pdf If you're looking for statistical data on female Aboriginal offenders, check out the “fact sheets” located on the main webpage of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS). CAEFS is an association that works at the international, national and regional levels to provide support to (and solidarity with) criminalized women, with a focus on those who come from marginalized societal groups. The fact sheet located at the link above provides an excellent source of statistics which CAEFS has compiled to draw awareness to the issue of Aboriginal over-representation in Canadian women’s prisons. On this sheet you will find statistics surrounding Aboriginal demographics, regional variation in incarceration rates, as well as statistics pertaining to the socio-economic context in which Aboriginal women live (i.e., a 22% gap exists in employment rates between Aboriginal and non-aboriginal women etc.) Since the fact sheet provides all primary sources for the collected data (and they openly encourage people to share/utilize the information!), this sheet is a valuable source of statistics that could be quickly and easily referred to for research purposes. -C.L.M Thunder Women Healing Lodge
Alternate Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us8emXdbXPE In this short YouTube clip, Christa Big Canoe shares information about an Ontario based initiative that aims to have a traditional healing lodge constructed in Toronto. This video is great, as Christa is able to provide a brief overview of what a healing lodge is, why it would be beneficial to have one built in the greater T.O. area, while shedding light on the importance of culturally appropriate alternatives to women’s imprisonment in Canada. Since this initiative is ongoing, I encourage people to check out the Thunder Women Healing Lodge website at http://www.thunderwomanhealinglodge.ca to find out how you can support this vision! -C.L.M The Ontario Women’s Justice Network (NGO)
Website Link: http://owjn.org/owjn_2009/ Link to Page Specifically About Aboriginal Women/Criminal Justice: http://owjn.org/owjn_2009/women-like-me/aboriginal-women The Ontario Women’s Justice Network is branch of an NGO called METRAC, whose mandate is to “promote an understanding of the law with respect to violence against women, providing accessible legal information to women and their supporters in a way that reflects the diverse experiences and realities of women” (owjn.org). What drew me to this website was the feminist approach to social justice this organization adopts, as well as the wide range of free-access information available on their page. They have a section that is focused on Canadian Aboriginal women, where there are many interesting documents to be found. Overviews of landmark cases (R v. Gladue), documents explaining matrimonial property rights on reserves, and videos which shed light on the obstacles Aboriginal women face in terms of gaining access to justice, are just a few of the many learning resources available on this website. - C.L.M |
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