NCJ Number
199213
Journal
Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2002 Pages: 13-16
Date Published
September 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article examines demographic trends in Canada and how they are likely to affect the factors that contribute to the disproportionate representation of Aboriginal people in Canada's correctional population.
Abstract
The overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in Canadian prisons is due, in part, to population demographics. The growth of Canada's Aboriginal population has been much greater in recent decades than the non-Aboriginal population. Both the rate increases and the relative youthfulness of the Aboriginal population have contributed to a disproportionate number of Aboriginal people in Canadian corrections compared with the non-Aboriginal population. In addition, there is a growing concentration of the young Aboriginal population in the core of the large cities, particularly throughout the West. Their lack of education and employment skills, coupled with substance abuse problems and personal histories of family violence and dysfunction, have contributed to negative peer associations and antisocial behavior. The next 20 years, however, should result in several changes to the factors in this equation. It is likely that there will be an enormous labor-market demand for Canada's shrinking youth population, and this demand should extend to Aboriginal youth, especially those with some education and job skills. Policymakers and appropriate agencies must find ways to ensure that a significantly larger number of Aboriginal youth will have the basic education and employment skills to benefit from the opportunities that will be presented. Now is the time to begin the planning that will ensure that Aboriginal youth will be beneficiaries of Canada's demographic trends. 3 figures and 13 notes