What does the author set out to achieve with their text?
In the article Unsettled Times, author Vicki Chartrand sets out to investigate the ongoing legacy between the Canadian penitentiary system and colonialism. Indigenous studies have shown that colonialism is a recurrent and universal part of human history (Chartrand, 2019). She states that the Canadian penitentiary emerged during early settlement and through this it was modeled on the British system of imprisonment. Chartrand shows how the penitentiary system has always been connected to colonialism and the mistreatment of Indigenous people. She also shed light on the number of Indigenous people, specifically women in the prison system. Indigenous prisoners are disproportionately over-represented
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First, she uses case studies to highlight how this system has personally affected people of the Indigenous community. In the case of R v Gladue, the Supreme Court did not fully consider section 718.2 (e) of the criminal code. This section requires the judge to consider all other options other than imprisonment and to pay particular attention to the circumstances of an Aboriginal offender (Irons, 2018). It is designed to improve the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in prisons and encourage judges to have a restorative approach to sentencing (Supreme Court Judgments, 1999). Chartrand also uses historical context to demonstrate how the Canadian penal system has always been rooted in colonialism. Her article discusses that even in the early 20th century the British Columbia penitentiary advised that white prisoners should associate as little as possible with Indians and Half-breeds (Minister of Justice, 2895:113, as cited in Chartrand, 2019). She traces back to the colonial era and explains that Indigenous people were punished and imprisoned for resisting the rules. She argues that we need to address the issues within the Canadian penitentiary system there is a need for decolonization. Decolonization allows for the restoration of colonized groups whose power was stolen. Decolonization in the prison system is an important step to reducing systemic racism and can produce fairer outcomes for Indigenous people (Korchak, 2017). We are just trying to mask ongoing genocide rather than trying to mend the mistakes from the past and work to better the
We can therefore deem that the Indian Act was specifically put in place to discriminate against the Aboriginal people of Canada. Although the Canadian government has tried to change the Indian Act and has been amended several times since its’ creation in 1876 it still continues to have significant effect on Aboriginal people in
The judge sentenced him six years’ incarceration followed by an LTSO after being designated a long-term offender. Also, once he was released, he committed an offense while intoxicated, and the Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal too. Later this case came to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the judge made the decision in his favor. This case revolves around the principles governing sentencing of Aboriginal offenders. Specifically,
The establishment of these reserves was instrumental for the management, control and segregation of Aboriginal Australians (Hollingsworth p 101; Fozdar, Wilding & Hawkins 2008: 116). Hegarty’s own experiences of: constant supervision, segregation and separation, police escorts and patrols, physical restrictions, ‘strict discipline and unfair treatment’, and regimented structure; highlight the extent to which control and discipline were the instruments for indoctrinating the rules and regulations of the settlement (Hegarty 1999: 3,14,17,20,23,25,26,30,34,36,39,42,43, 53-55,57,58, 61,75-77,79 93,95,103,123,129,130,135,140). Moreover, reserve inmates were isolated and ’were subject to strict discipline, loss of privacy and autonomy’ (Hollingsworth 2006: 102). The basis for this oppressive regimented institutionalised racism was the intended outcome: a disciplined employable farm labourer or domestic servant; who understood the rules and therefore their position in society. (Hegarty 1999:
Ava Duvernay's documentary "13th" does a great job of capturing the problems with the criminal justice system in North America. It draws attention to problems with excessive minority representation and racial injustices in the system. This paper will examine the central issue and main message explored in the documentary "13th". It will also explore my initial reaction to the film and whether any specific case or facts challenged my pre-existing views on the prison system. Additionally, a comparative analysis will be conducted between the intersection of race, crime, and criminal justice in Canada and what is presented in "13th".
In Lee Maracles’s interview with Context: Beyond the Headlines, Maracle explains the healing properties of literature and how expression through poetry has helped her advocate for Indigenous people. The medicinal properties of literature are a sacred belief of the Stó:lō peoples. The power of poetry helps relieve the chronic wounding created by the colonizers. Maracle begins by addressing how the movement of colonialism caused irreversible intergenerational trauma among the Indigenous communities. She shames the Canadian government because none of the real people who evoked the damage had ever faced confrontation.
This story is a powerful critique of the ways that Indigenous people are often marginalized. The checkpoint guards do not recognize the Blackfeet as a sovereign nation and instead treat them as if they are simply Canadian citizens. This lack of recognition is a form of invalidation that denies the Blackfeet unique identity and cultural heritage. The story also outlines the allowance of the government system to control and conquer marginalized groups as we see the mother and daughter have been repeatedly denied entry into the United States despite their best efforts to assert their
Kingston, of the many cities in Canada, is in fact very well known for their large quantity of prisons. Ever since 1835, the amount of Kingston’s penitentiaries and prisons have grossly increased in numbers. The city has been heavily populated for a long time. Therefore, many prisons and penitentiaries were made to accommodate to higher crime
Blackfoot is a native tribe that resides in the Great Plains of Montana and Canadian provinces of Alberta. King writes about how the mother had to face several guards and spend a few nights in the car with her son because of their treatment by Canada. In my point of view, I find the theme to be that aboriginals are treated as objects and are forced to give up their identity and lifestyle. Just like in America, it seems like that Canada is pushing aboriginals are pushed to the side and cover it with some sugar. For instance, when parked at an border office, a woman tried to persuaded the mother to pick a identity by saying “I can understand how you feeling about having to tell us about your citizenship, and here’s what I’ll do.
Tracey Lindberg’s novel Birdie is narratively constructed in a contorting and poetic manner yet illustrates the seriousness of violence experience by Indigenous females. The novel is about a young Cree woman Bernice Meetoos (Birdie) recalling her devasting past and visionary journey to places she has lived and the search for home and family. Lindberg captures Bernice’s internal therapeutic journey to recover from childhood traumas of incest, sexual abuse, and social dysfunctions. She also presents Bernice’s self-determination to achieve a standard of good health and well-being. The narrative presents Bernice for the most part lying in bed and reflecting on her dark life in the form of dreams.
Along with African-American/Blacks, the Hispanic population is underrepresented at both the state and federal levels while the Caucasian/White population are underrepresented (Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, 2018). This essay will discuss multiple different races and ethinicities to regard their population make up within the prison system. Although race and ethnicity relate to one another they are different. According to Walker et al. (2018), race is defined as the, “major biological divisions of mankind,” for
The indigenous people are literally crashing into the buildings produced by the colonizing culture, “Look out! Bob shouts. There are Indians flying into the skyscrapers and falling on the sidewalk.” (King 63) and it adequately represents the lack of adaptability of the Native Canadians. Thomas King taps again into the effects of colonialism and notions the indigenous people as uneducated and an untamed species.
The book allows the reader to truly understand what Indigenous people went through in Canada’s past by looking at assimilation as a war and not just some event in history. Soldiers battled for their life on the front
The overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in the Canadian criminal justice system is a deeply concerning issue that has garnered significant attention from academics, policymakers, and the wider public. The notion that Indigenous peoples account for more than 30% of the federal prison population, despite comprising just 5% of the Canadian population, highlights the extent to which they are disproportionately impacted by the legal system. The overrepresent of indigenous peoples in the justice system in Canada needs to be addressed through a review of the fairness, equity and effectiveness of the legislation that is currently in force, due to its lasting impacts on indigenous communities. Through examining the failures of Canada's
It depicts the Indigenous people's losses of land, culture, and identity, as well as the loss of their traditional way of life. The writer has a connection to the struggles they faced as a result of the consequences the Indigenous faced and indicates that challenges will arise in the future. Moreover, in the research source "[t]hese are tough conversations and we have to get to a point where we are willing to make mistakes because we are going to make mistakes along the way" (Larson, online). It conveys reconciliation and difficult conversation, similar to loss, loneliness, and healing. The text and the real world demonstrate the complexities of historical injustices.
Her central thesis is that mass incarceration is “The New Jim Crow,” or the new system of control used by the government to uphold racial class in the U.S. This book will be helpful to my research because it directly discusses the topic of race and the criminal justice system. Amnesty International. (2003). United States of America: Death by discrimination