Justice, Indigenous Peoples, and Canada by Campbell, Kathryn M.; Wellman, Stephanie;

Short description:

This book compiles the work of leading researchers to provide a broad overview of criminal justice issues that Indigenous people in Canada have faced historically and continue to face today. It is essential reading for those interested in the struggles of the Indigenous peoples in Canada as well as anyone studying race, crime and justice.

Long description:

Justice, Indigenous Peoples, and Canada: A History of Courage and Resilience brings together the work of a number of leading researchers to provide a broad overview of criminal justice issues that Indigenous people in Canada have faced historically and continue to face today. Both Indigenous and Canadian scholars situate current issues of justice for Indigenous peoples, broadly defined, within the context of historical realities and ongoing developments.

By examining how justice is defined, both from within Indigenous communities and outside of them, this volume examines the force of Constitutional reform and subsequent case law on Indigenous rights historically and in contemporary contexts. It then expands the discussion to include theoretical considerations, particularly settler colonialism, that help explain how ongoing oppressive and assimilationist agendas continue to affect how so-called "justice" is administered. From a critical perspective, the book examines the operation of the criminal justice system, through bail, specialized courts, policing, sentencing, incarceration and release. It explores legal frameworks as well as current issues that have significantly affected Indigenous peoples, such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, human rights, resurgence and identity. This unique collection of perspectives exposes the disconcerting agenda of historical and modern-day Canadian federal government policy and the continued denial of Indigenous rights to self-determination. It is essential reading for those interested in the struggles of the Indigenous peoples in Canada as well as anyone studying race, crime and justice.

Table of Contents:

Introduction.  Part 1: Questions of Theory and Justice.  Chapter 1. Justicia Canadiana.  Chapter 2. Settler Colonialism and the Criminalization of Indigenous People in Canada.  Chapter 3. Frail Legitimacies: Examining the Settler Colonial Legal-Politics Underlying the Wet’suwet’en Crisis.  Chapter 4.  A Strategy for Achieving Indigenous Justice: A Seven “R” Plan.  Part 2: Features of the Criminal Justice System.  Chapter 5. A Commentary on First Nations Policing.  Chapter 6. Swimming Upstream in the Criminal Justice System: The Role of the Bail System in the Over-representation of Indigenous Peoples in Canadian Correction Facilities.  Chapter 7. Attempts at Reconciliation Through Criminal Law: Tracing the Historical Applications of the Gladue Principles.  Chapter 8. Criminal Justice Reform and the Mass Imprisonment of Indigenous People in Canada.  Chapter 9. Indigenous Women: Living in a State of Injustice. Reflections on the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba and Continued Injustices faced by Indigenous women in Canada.  Part 3:  In/Justice in Practice.  Chapter 10. Family Matters: Home is the Heart of the Indigenous Prison Crisis.  Chapter 11. Indigenous Identity and Correctional Programming: The Effects of a Contemporary Colonial Project.  Chapter 12.  Leaving the Iron House: The Red Road Out of Prison.  Chapter 13. The Duty to Do Better: Becoming a Trauma-Informed Lawyer.  Chapter 14.  Indigenous People Courts: A Commentary.