[Must be racism at it again?-ed]
OTTAWA — A quarter of Canada’s aboriginal population could be locked up behind bars within 10 years unless the Correctional Service of Canada moves quickly to end policies of “systemic discrimination,” warns the federal prison ombudsman.
In a blistering report that flags a “growing crisis” in Canada’s penal system, correctional investigator Howard Sapers urges the federal government and corrections brass to overhaul the system that jails a hugely disproportionate number of natives. Aboriginals are incarcerated for longer periods and denied culturally sensitive programs to help them break free from a cycle of poverty, substance abuse and crime, he said.
“The general picture is one of institutionalized discrimination,” Sapers said. “Aboriginal people are routinely disadvantaged once they are placed in the custody of the correctional service.”
While aboriginals represent less than 2.7% of the country’s population, they make up nearly 18.5% of federal prison numbers. Statistics are even more dire for native women, who comprise 32% of all females in federal custody. If current trends continue, Sapers said 25% of aboriginal Canadians could be incarcerated in less than a decade.
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