The Violence of Justice Policy: Risk Assessments and the Criminaliza- tion of Indigenous People

Untitled YELLOWHEAD BRIEF #144 | JANUARY 17, 2024 The Violence of Justice Policy: Risk Assessments and the Criminaliza- tion of Indigenous People by Ashley Kyne THERE IS WIDESPREAD DISCRIMINATION in the Canadian are inuenced by a formal or informal assessment of criminal justice system. [...] Risk assessment is necessary to apportion limited resources most eectively.7 Indigenous Peoples represent 4.5 percent of the Canadian As a prolic activity in the criminal justice system, adult population1 but 26.3 percent of new admissions to oender risk assessment engages in the ubiquitous task federal prisons.2 Compared to non-Indigenous oenders, of determining the likelihood of a future event. [...] is No risk assessment tool currently in use has process may involve culturally specic risk factors (i.e., been developed in a culturally responsive way apply uniquely to Indigenous Peoples, likely due to the legacy of colonialism and genocide), culturally salient (i.e., or has considered the possibility of culturally more critical for Indigenous Peoples compared to non- speci昀椀c risk factors for I. [...] 17 Canada ruling regarding the applicability of risk assessment tools with Indigenous oenders.15 In this case, a Métis at is not to say there is a “fair” representation of federal prisoner contended that the risk assessment scales Indigenous Peoples in custody. [...] Oce of the Correctional Investigator, Annual Report of the Oce of the Correctional Investigator 2013-2014, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, June 27, 2014, annual-report-oce-correctional-investigator-2013-2014.