NCJ Number
153674
Date Published
Unknown
Length
85 pages
Annotation
Based on telephone calls to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachments, provincial and Federal departments of justice officials, and representatives of Aboriginal communities across Canada, this report describes the status of several alternative Aboriginal justice initiatives.
Abstract
Aboriginal people feel a need and desire to establish local community justice systems that are consistent with their values, customs, and traditions. As more community-based alternative justice projects are developed and implemented, there seems to be a growing sense of responsibility in Aboriginal communities to address antisocial behavior and to nurture a justice system that is both effective and sensitive to Native needs and aspirations. The Aboriginal communities described here have emphasized a dispute- resolution approach through mediation, reconciliation, and rehabilitation. Principles of Aboriginal justice stress collective rights as an individual is responsible not only to himself or herself, but to the entire community. The overall nature of Aboriginal justice is holistic and integrative. This report describes several ongoing programs of Aboriginal justice, including the Sandy Lake Justice Project, Battlefords Adult Diversion Project, Community Justice Committee of Manitoba, Mimac Diversion Council of Lennox Island, and the Teslin Tlingit Tribal Justice System.