The topic I will be researching is systemic disadvantages bestowed upon Canada’s Aboriginal peoples, and the reasons behind their innate inferiority in Canadian society.
Research Question: Why is there a higher incidence of crime in Aboriginal communities in Canada?
Literature
1: Crime and control in three Nishnawbe-Aski Nation communities: An exploratory investigation: The questions asked and answered in the article by Auger, Doob, Auger, and Driben (1992) pertain to criminal activity and disorder in Native communities on three reserves in northern Ontario. The quantitative study consisted of in-person interviews with several residents in each community, and analyses of police and court documents. The article …show more content…
Both qualitative and quantitative analyses are performed in this piece, using observations by the author and data collected by other researchers. The chapter notes that Aboriginal people are more likely to be accused and convicted of committing crimes against people as opposed to property, which non-Aboriginals are more likely to be convicted of (La Prairie, 1999, pp. 178-9). Rates of incarceration of Aboriginals are highest in the Prairie Provinces, likely due to the high concentration of status Indians residing in this region (pp. 179-81). Similar to Comparative Penology in Perspective, La Prairie suggests that there is insufficient data on Aboriginal incarceration in Canada, and that more reliable data should be found in order to draw conclusions on the topic (p. 185). La Prairie’s chapter indicates that there are various factors that must be considered when trying to determine a causal relationship between any variable and overly high rates of incarceration in the Aboriginal population (pp. …show more content…
Dell questions the reasons behind the racialization of the Canadian justice system, looking particularly at the treatment of Native women reporting crimes and being charged, convicted, and sentenced (Dell, 2002, p. 127). The chapter concludes that a lack of knowledge and understanding about Aboriginal culture subjects Aboriginal women to a deep discrimination that must be reversed in order to improve the integrity of Canada’s justice system (p. 134). Contrary to the quantitative nature of Brodeur and Auger et al., Dell concentrates on the emotions and experiences of the subjects whom she studies, and does not focus on statistical information in the chapter in Crimes of