Prepared in 1974 for the Law Reform Commission of Canada, this background study compiles statistical data concerning the involvement of Indigenous peoples in the Canadian criminal justice system, with particular emphasis on detention and punishment. The term “native offender” is used in the report to include Status and non-Status Indians, Métis, and Inuit. Most of the data relates to the western provinces, where Indigenous peoples comprised a significant proportion of the incarcerated population.
Drawing on information supplied by federal and provincial departments, correctional institutions, police, courts, and Indigenous organizations, the study examines prison populations, types of offences, the role of alcohol, sentencing patterns, and rates of recidivism. Detailed file research was conducted at federal institutions in Prince Albert and Drumheller.
The report presents statistical findings without advancing policy conclusions, and was issued separately by the Commission in response to public and governmental interest. Douglas A. Schmeiser, then Dean of Law at the University of Saskatchewan, prepared the study in collaboration with Hans W. B. Heumann and John R. Manning.
Notes adapted from the publisher's information.
