Backgrounder

One-Day Snapshot of Aboriginal Youth in Custody Across Canada : Phase II

The Department of Justice, with the support of the provinces and territories, has conducted the second One-Day Snapshot of Aboriginal Youth in Custody Across Canada – a follow-up to the 2000 Snapshot, which was an effort to document the overrepresentation of Aboriginal youth in custody.

All provinces and territories participated in the Snapshot in 2000. The study was repeated in 2003 with the participation of all provinces and territories, except Quebec . The second Snapshot gauges the changes that have occurred since 2000, a period that includes the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Both Snapshots determined the number, age, gender and Aboriginal origin (e.g. First Nations, Inuit, Métis) of youth in custody on Snapshot day, and the nature of their charges or convictions. In terms of absolute numbers, the first Snapshot revealed a significant Western urban problem of Aboriginal youth in custody.

Findings from the second Snapshot demonstrated a substantial reduction in the numbers of Aboriginal youth in custody since the first Snapshot. In 2000, there were 1,128 Aboriginal youth reported in custody, compared to 720 reported in 2003 – a difference of 408 youth. This latest Snapshot showed sizeable decreases in the incarceration rate of Aboriginal youth in four major centres across Canada : London , Ontario ; Prince Albert , Saskatchewan ; Winnipeg , Manitoba ; and Yellowknife , Northwest Territories .

Despite the substantial reductions in the number of Aboriginal youth in custody since 2000, Aboriginal youth continue to experience an appreciably higher incarceration rate compared to non-Aboriginal youth. While the incarceration rate for non-Aboriginal youth was 8.2 per 10,000 population, the incarceration rate for Aboriginal youth was 64.5 per 10,000 population.

Research conducted by the Government of Canada and others indicates this is likely due to high rates of poverty, substance abuse and victimization in many Aboriginal communities, leading to family breakdown and serious criminal behaviour at a young age. The research also indicates possible discrimination within the youth criminal justice system may also be a contributing factor.

The 2003 data indicates that the typical youth in custody on Snapshot day ( June 4, 2003 ) is a

16-17 year old male, in custody for break and enter, theft and serious assault. Statistics also show a greater proportion of Aboriginal youth are in custody for serious offences than non-Aboriginal youth.

One of the goals for the Department of Justice during the first Snapshot was to collect information that would help direct financial and other resources to reduce the number of Aboriginal youth in custody and support their reintegration into the community.

In response to that first study, the Department’s Youth Justice Policy sector allocated resources last fiscal year for interested provinces and territories to do an initial assessment of the second Snapshot to determine how much of the overrepresentation could be addressed by Justice programs, and to consult with Aboriginal community members and others about the situation.

As a result, more than $470,000 was used for projects that address overrepresentation, including research, needs assessments, action plans, information sharing workshops, consultations and training sessions. An additional $1.2 million has been made available in fiscal 2004-05 to provinces and territories to continue to support and test these justice programs.

In addition, approximately $1.5 million has been spent in 2004-05 on Aboriginal Capacity Building projects through the Department’s Youth Justice Renewal Fund. This funding is aimed at supporting the capacity of Aboriginal people to participate in and/or deliver community-based youth justice options. Part of this funding was allocated to the Cities Project, which was developed as a response to the first One Day Snapshot. Launched in Winnipeg , Manitoba in January 2003, the Cities Project organizes existing federal, provincial and community resources and programs in several cities to develop a collaborative approach to opening up new avenues for Aboriginal youth. The Cities Project was later expanded to Thunder Bay in November, 2003.

The October 2004 Speech from the Throne saw the Government of Canada renew its commitment to support Aboriginal communities. The Department of Justice is working in collaboration with other federal and provincial departments to significantly reduce the number of Aboriginal people coming into conflict with the criminal justice system, make it more culturally relevant and increase the numbers of Aboriginal police officers, lawyers and judges.

An executive summary and PDF version of the full Snapshot report are available at: http://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/ps/yj/updates/updates.html

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November 2004