The social work profession discusses and attempts to redress many different types of social injustice. Social work intervention may take many forms in order to comprehensively assist clients depending on the circumstances of the situation. One problem that is incredibly detrimental within contemporary Canadian society, is the over incarceration of Indigenous populations. I propose a social work program to combat the undeniable fact that Indigenous populations within contemporary Canadian society are incarcerated at alarming rates (Government of Canada; Public Safety Canada, 2013). The social work intervention that I propose to redress and hopefully combat the over criminalization of the Indigenous community, is a group based therapy session, …show more content…
The answer to this question is that, numerous studies have found that the Indigenous population has increased by nearly 40% within the last ten years, while the general prison population rate for the rest of Canadian society has increased by merely 2% (Owusu-Bempah et al., 2014). This statistic showcases a major problem that is evident within contemporary Canadian society. Indigenous Canadians are being incarcerated at alarming rates, and programs and services need to be established to combat this clear and undeniable social ill. The over incarceration of the Indigenous community constitutes a social problem, due to the fact that an entire population within society is being stripped of their freedom, and incarcerated, often times, because of their race. It would be unwise to assume that the high rate of Indigenous incarceration is due to the individual shortcomings of the Indigenous community, because the prison rates among the general Canadian population show that racial differences do exist, with incarceration rates differences among dominant groups and minority groups differing. Which proves that over incarceration is due, in part, to concepts of dominant and marginalized …show more content…
The Office of the Correctional Investigator in Canada determined that Indigenous Canadians are routinely over represented in prison populations, and Indigenous individuals comprise a disproportionally large amount of federal inmates. This can be supported by the undeniable fact that Indigenous populations made up 4% of the general Canadian population, but made up 23.2% of the federal prison population in 2013. Furthermore, while the incarceration rate for the general Canadian population was 140 adults out of 100,000 adults would be incarcerated, the rate for Indigenous populations was almost 10 times higher than the national standard (Government of Canada, 2013). These are incredibly disproportionate statistics that prove that Indigenous populations are over represented within prison populations, and this is a social problem that disadvantages massive amounts of the Canadian population. Furthermore, Indigenous Canadians are more likely than non-Indigenous Canadians to be victims of unemployment, poor education, and substance abuse issues, which is intrinsically linked to the rise in Indigenous offender rates. As often times these problems grow from a lack of suitable resources and opportunities, which forces Indigenous Canadians to, often times, seek alternative and often illegal opportunities (Ruddell & Gottschall,
There is much literature about African American and Hispanic offenders and the punishment of males in the criminal justice system; however, there is not much literature on either Native Americans or women offenders in the criminal justice system. Luana Ross attempts to break this trend with her research in Inventing the Savage: The Social Construct of Native American Criminality. In her book, Ross first gives a comprehensive history and perspective on the perception of Native Americans by what she describes as “Euro-Americans.” In the second part of her book, Ross gives us a glimpse on the conditions and treatment of women prisoners (particularly Native American women) in a Montana women’s correctional facility (labeled the WCC by the author).
The over-representation of Aboriginal children in the Canadian Child Welfare system is a growing and multifaceted issue rooted in a pervasive history of racism and colonization in Canada. Residential schools were established with the intent to force assimilation of Aboriginal people in Canada into European-Canadian society (Reimer, 2010, p. 22). Many Aboriginal children’s lives have been changed adversely by the development of residential schools, even for those who did not attend them. It is estimated that Aboriginal children “are 6-8 times more likely to be placed in foster care than non-Aboriginal children (Saskatchewan Child Welfare Review Panel, 2010, p. 2).” Reports have also indicated that First Nations registered Indian children make up the largest proportion of Aboriginal children entering child welfare care across Canada (Saskatchewan Child Welfare Review Panel, p. 2). Consequently, this has negatively impacted Aboriginal communities experience of and relationship with child welfare services across the country. It is visible that the over-representation of Aboriginal children in the child welfare system in Canada lies in the impact of the Canadian policy for Indian residential schools, which will be described throughout this paper.
the Canadian justice system(Brizinski,1993,395) it has over and over again been stated that the present justice system has and is failing Aboriginal people. It is not suited for their cultural needs and does nothing to rehabilitate offenders but rather does the offender more harm then good. It does not address the underlying conditions causing criminal behavior or in assessing what specific needs must be addressed to rehabilitate.
In Canada, access to health care is ‘universal’ to its citizens under the Canadian Health Care Act and this system is considered to the one of the best in the world (Laurel & Richard, 2002). Access to health care is assumed on the strong social value of equality and is defined as the distribution of services to all those in need and for the common good and health of all residents (Fierlbeck, 2011). Equitable access to health care does not mean that all citizens are subjected to receive the same number of services but rather that wherever the service is provided it is based on need. Therefore, not all Canadians have equal access to health services. The Aboriginal peoples in Canada in particular are a population that is overlooked and underserved
Despite the decreasing inequalities between men and women in both private and public spheres, aboriginal women continue to be oppressed and discriminated against in both. Aboriginal people in Canada are the indigenous group of people that were residing in Canada prior to the European colonization. The term First Nations, Indian and indigenous are used interchangeably when referring to aboriginal people. Prior to the colonization, aboriginal communities used to be matrilineal and the power between men and women were equally balanced. When the European came in contact with the aboriginal, there came a shift in gender role and power control leading towards discrimination against the women. As a consequence of the colonization, the aboriginal women are a dominant group that are constantly subordinated and ignored by the government system of Canada. Thus today, aboriginal women experiences double jeopardy as they belong to more than one disadvantaged group i.e. being women and belonging to aboriginal group. In contemporary world, there are not much of a difference between Aboriginal people and the other minority groups as they face the similar challenges such as gender discrimination, victimization, and experiences injustice towards them. Although aboriginal people are not considered as visible minorities, this population continues to struggle for their existence like any other visible minorities group. Although both aboriginal men and women are being discriminated in our society, the women tends to experience more discrimination in public and private sphere and are constantly the targeted for violence, abuse and are victimized. In addition, many of the problems and violence faced by aborigin...
Fleras, Augie. “Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Repairing the Relationship.” Chapter 7 of Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada. 6th ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2010. 162-210. Print.
The system in place is completely unsuitable and unhelpful for Native people and it shows just how indifferent Canada is to First Nations peoples’ well-being. Zimmerman explains in his article “Outcomes” that it is a well-known fact that Aboriginal people are overrepresented in the prison system (1992). There are so many reasons why this is so, and the majority of those reasons are because of the terrible way that Canada has interacted with them. They are isolated in their reserves, they are haunted by their residential school experiences, leading to alcoholism, domestic violence and neglect, and they face discrimination and a lack of social support from the government. Once an Aboriginal person finds themselves in the clutches of the prison system, the indifference begins. Canada’s criminal justice system is indifferent to an Aboriginal person’s cultural, spiritual, and individual needs that separate them from the average convicted person (Zimmerman, 1992). The criminal justice system ignores the unique idea of justice and restoration that First Nations peoples have, making it extremely irrelevant and unhelpful for them. First Nations peoples have linguistic and cultural barriers and a lack of counsel and understanding of the criminal processes and, therefore, have misguided rulings and inaccurate proceedings. Canada has not provided the cultural training and
The Canadian Justice system has failed its mandate of creating a just and peaceful society for all in regards to treatment of immigrants. Our current system of operations of indefinite immigrant detention is in desperate need of revitalization for as it stands it is one of the weakest and most unnecessarily components of our legislature. As proven through differing worldwide policies a limitation can be applied effectively and national security may still be maintained. Clear limits to the practice of detention are in place in both the European Union and in the United States. In the EU, detention is capped at six months with the possibility of extending to 18 months in certain cases. In the U.S., the period of presumptive release is six months,
...al departments actually reaches first nations” (Assembly of First Nations 2007:1), with 11 percent of funding being spent on INAC departmental overhead (Assembly of First Nations 2007). In order to improve the conditions of Aboriginal life, and subsequently improve the parenting abilities of Aboriginals, we must first address and repair the underlying psychological, emotional, and social problems within Native communities. This process of repair should be facilitated through the development of a long-term strategy, designed to increase government spending towards beneficial social and medical programs, with a primary focus on addressing the traumas inflicted by the residential school system. In the words of Lloyd Robertson (2006: 21), “Concomitantly, community development work needs to be done to mitigate the disastrous effects of the residential school experiment.”
These women never get to go home. Over 1,200 Indigenous women have been murdered or have gone missing in Canada within the past thirty years. Indigenous women are targeted where they are viewed as less than human. These women are not seen as individuals that have friends, family, children, and a community that will be broken without them. Indigenous women are all too often only seen by the colour of their skin. In viewing their colour, assumptions are made that they are live dangerous lifestyles, participate in sex work, and are of no value to society. The seriousness of the violence towards Indigenous women is often
For decades First Nations people1 faced abuse in Canada's residential school system. Native children had their culture and families torn away from them in the name of solving the perceived “Indian Problem” in Canada. These children faced emotional, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of residential school supervisors and teachers. Since the fazing out of residential schools in the 1960's the survivors of residential schools and their communities have faced ongoing issues of substance addiction, suicide, and sexual abuse.2 These problems are brought on by the abuse that survivors faced in residential schools. The government of Canada has established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to address these issues but it has been largely ineffective. Though the Government of Canada has made adequate efforts towards monetary reparations for the survivors of residential schools, it has failed to provide a means to remedy the ongoing problems of alcohol and drug addiction, sexual abuse, and suicide in the communities of residential school survivors.3
Similar to other marginalized groups affected by colonialism due to the government in power, the Indigenous peoples of Canada have struggled as a nation due to the unequal treatment they have encountered in the past. The governing bodies that control these Indigenous communities have continued to have colonialistic tendencies that attempt to put the ‘white man’s’ needs before the Indigenous peoples.
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans in Canada in the mid- to late 1600s, Aboriginal people were the original inhabitants of the Canadian land. In Canadian history, we forced our Aboriginal people to adapt to the European-Canadian culture and values. Prior to overthrowing their land and culture, the Aboriginal peoples were thriving off the natural land materialistically and financially. In years to come in response to the mistreatment of them, the Canadian government would implement what is known as the Indigenous and Northern Affairs act [1966] this act would aim to establish financial rights and benefits for the aboriginal demographic. Today in the 21st century Canada is comprised of over 1.4 million indigenous peoples (Aylsworth
This essay will identify key issues facing the client system and will demonstrate an intervention plan. Followed by defining the purpose of social work and the identification of the AASW Code of Ethics, in regards to the case study. Lastly, key bodies of knowledge will be identified and applied to the case study.
They suffered at the hands of the provincial police. “[The police] took my cousin Angus Jacob and brought him to the back of a barn and handcuffed him to a metal chair. They pulled his pants down and they started electrocuting his testicles to get him to talk,” said Serge Simon, grand chief of Kanesatake. (3) ‘Many protesters faced criminal charges, but most were not found guilty.’ (4) ‘An investigation held after the crisis revealed problems within the provincial police’s handling of the situation, one of which being prejudice from some members of the police force in Quebec towards the Mohawks.’ (8) Aboriginal peoples in Canada continue to face discrimination, and face criminal charges for crimes they did not commit. ‘Aboriginal people make up only 4% of the Canadian population, but approximately 23.3% of the federal inmate population is Aboriginal.’