NCJ Number
182066
Date Published
1999
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Research using the methodology of critical ethnography formed the basis of an analysis of Aboriginal perspectives on policing and police-community relations in Canada.
Abstract
The study data came from interviews and focus groups with 35 members and representatives of community-based organizations in the Native community of metropolitan Toronto and from participant observation of community members at community functions and meetings. The researcher obtained informed consent and used pseudonyms to ensure confidentiality and trust. Results revealed that the policing of First Nations peoples is qualitatively different from that of white communities, especially since formal social control reflects historical and colonial attitudes toward First Nations. Participants had serious concerns about the stereotypical attitudes of the police, lacked confidence in the police, and their helplessness and dependence that enhanced a sense of inferiority. Community members reported that the police mistreated them through pervasive disrespect, rude and cruel verbal exchanges, aggressive and belligerent acts, and an overall hostile demeanor. They noted the police use of force during discriminatory practices of arrest, search, and seizure. They alleged that the police handled members of their communities as if they were guilty until proven innocent. Additional themes were the non-enforcement and under-enforcement of laws whenever First Nations people were crime victims. They also expressed concern about how the police responded to and interacted with Aboriginal women. Participants also recommended both immediate and long-term solutions using both isolated and multi-tiered approaches that would emphasize the significance of culture at the interpersonal, institutional, and systemic levels. 56 references