SECOND NATIONAL STUDY SHOWS FEWER ABORIGINAL YOUTH IN CUSTODY

OTTAWA , November 22, 2004 – The Department of Justice, with the support of the provinces and territories, today released the second One Day Snapshot of Aboriginal Youth in Custodyacross Canada . The report documents the number of Aboriginal youth in custody on a single day - June 4, 2003 - and is a follow up to the first Snapshot done in 2000.

The 2003 Snapshot shows a 36% reduction in the number of Aboriginal youth in custody from three years earlier: down from 1,128 in 2000 to 720 in 2003. Sizeable decreases were shown in four major centres across Canada : London , Ontario ; Winnipeg , Manitoba ; Prince Albert , Saskatchewan ; and Yellowknife , Northwest Territories .

Despite the reductions in custodial numbers that have occurred since 2000, the second report confirms that Aboriginal youth continue to experience a high incarceration rate and are almost eight times more likely to be in custody compared to non-Aboriginal youth.

The Department of Justice has made Aboriginal justice issues a priority, and is committed to working with the provinces, territories, Aboriginal communities and other partners to develop practical solutions to help Aboriginal youth.

On November 29, 2004 , the Department will host a Roundtable meeting with these partners, as well as representatives from the four cities mentioned above. The Roundtable will study the successes and the gaps in these cities in an effort to help other communities achieve similar results and will examine the best approach to meet the federal government ’s commitment to reduce the custody rate of Aboriginal youth.

The Department’s Youth Justice Policy sector committed $470,000 last year for provinces and territories to determine how much of the overrepresentation of Aboriginal youth in Canada ’s prisons and jails could be addressed by federal justice programs. An additional $1.2 million has been made available this fiscal year for provinces and territories to continue to support and test these programs. In addition, approximately $1.5 million has been spent in 2004/05 on developing capacity for Aboriginal community-based youth justice programs through the Department’s Youth Justice Renewal Fund.

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Ref:

Denise Rudnicki
Director of Communcations
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621

Mark Feldbauer
Senior Communications Advisor
(613) 954-3431