Representatives from the Saskatoon Tribal Council and the provincial government pose for a picture. (Submitted photo/ Chief Ava Bear)

By Nigel Maxwell

Community support

STC and provincial government commit to reducing number of Indigenous inmates

Mar 4, 2022 | 2:00 PM

An agreement signed in Saskatoon on Friday, aims to help pave the way for improved supports for First Nations inmates as they transition back into their home communities.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety and the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC). In a statement from Minister Christine Tell, she explained this agreement is a step toward reducing the number of First Nations individuals that are incarcerated in the province.

“This will also allow us to further address the root causes of reoffending and create stronger communities by ensuring necessary supports and opportunities are available to those transitioning out of the criminal justice system,” she said.

Minister Tell, STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand along with STC Chiefs signed the Offender Reintegration Partnership Agreement.

“Indigenous people continue to be overrepresented in our provincial correctional systems,” Chief Arcand said. “The province and STC acknowledge that the work required to support rehabilitation and reintegration must be based on a shared response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.”

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A photo of STF Chief Mark Arcand and Minister Christine Tell signing the MOU. (Submitted photo/ Ministry of Justice)

The partnership agreement outlines measures that will be taken to advance long-term reconciliation regarding incarcerated individuals.

Some of the short- and mid-term goals are implementing employment programming; enhancing education and training opportunities; and creating high quality cultural services in the Saskatoon Correctional Centre delivered exclusively by First Nations persons.

Other goals include developing a reintegration program that best supports individuals leaving incarceration; and evaluating outcomes for further enhancements to the partnership. Arcand explained this partnership ensures STC can offer Indigenous-led services for Indigenous people through employment, education, and cultural support to have a better quality of life.

Muskoday First Nation, south of Prince Albert, is one of seven STC member bands. Chief Ava Bear said they do have band members in many urban centres and in different provinces. While she has not had any specific complaints come to her regard lack of supports, Bear said she knows other communities have.

“And due to the high repeat offending rate, it was felt there needs to be more supports in place to reduce that. Give them skills inside,” she said.

A Provincial Correctional Services Innovation committee will be established as part of the agreement to improve outcomes over time and continue momentum in a positive direction for First Nations people.

By the numbers

According to a release in 2020 from Canada’s prison ombudsman, over 30 per cent of federal inmates are Indigenous. In Saskatchewan, that number climbs to 65 per cent.

Despite the fact the Indigenous population makes up only 16 per cent of the general population, three out of every four people taken in federal or provincial custody in Saskatchewan in 2017/2018 were Indigenous, according to Statistics Canada.

Indigenous women made up 82 per cent of women admitted into Saskatchewan jails during the same period.

Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Vice-Chief Heather Bear linked the over representation of Indigenous people behind bars to a broader crisis in Indigenous communities caused by historical and contemporary wrongs.

She said communities and leaders have solutions – like more Indigenous lawyers, improved mental healthcare, and better access to ceremony and elders in prison – but the federal and provincial governments need to support them.

“We know how to heal our people,” she said. “So come on Canada, come on Saskatchewan, let go of the purse strings, let go of that control. I’m sure when they do that, you’ll see a difference in those statistics.”

Both Bear and the federal correctional investigator called on the government of Canada to implement calls to action raised by the Truth and Reconciliation and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Those suggested measures included transferring resources and responsibility to Indigenous groups and communities for the care, custody and supervision of Indigenous offenders; increasing access and availability of culturally relevant correctional programming; and improving engagement with Indigenous communities and enhance their capacity to provide reintegration services.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell