The Mass Incarceration of Indigenous Women in Canada: A Colonial Tactic of Control and Assimilation

Marques, Olga; Monchalin, Lisa

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-44567-6_5

Cited by 13 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Over the last three decades, the war on drugs in Canada has caused great harm, as government policies and priorities have subjected racialized populations to excessive and invasive policing [28]. The criminalization of drugs has been central to mass incarceration and state violence that disproportionately impacts Indigenous people and Black Canadians [26,28,30]. On the whole, estimates suggest that Indigenous people are overrepresented by over 600% in Canadian federal prison, while Black Canadians are overrepresented by 300% [28,31].…”

Section: Historical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“They're causing more harm than good”: a qualitative study exploring racism in harm reduction through the experiences of racialized people who use drugs

Godkhindi

Nussey

O’Shea³

2022

Harm Reduct J

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Background Increased opioid-related morbidity and mortality in racialized communities has highlighted the intersectional nature of the drug policy crisis. Given the racist evolution of the war on drugs and the harm reduction (HR) movement, the aim of this study is to explore racism within harm reduction services through the perspectives of our participants. Methods We conducted a qualitative descriptive study to explore the perspectives of racialized service users and providers on racism in the HR movement in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Four racialized service users and four racialized service providers participated in semi-structured interviews that were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically. Results Five themes related to racism in HR were generated: (1) whiteness of harm reduction as a barrier to accessing services, (2) diversifying HR workers as a step towards overcoming distrust, (3) drop-in spaces specific to Black, Indigenous, and people of colour are facilitators to accessing harm reduction, (4) lack of representation in HR-related promotional and educational campaigns, and (5) HR as a frontier for policing. Conclusions Our findings suggest that structural and institutional racism are prevalent in HR services within the GTHA, in the form of colour-blind policies and practices that fail to address the intersectional nature of the drug policy crisis. There is a need for local HR organizations to critically reflect and act on their practices and policies, working with communities to become more equitable, inclusive, and accessible spaces for all people who use drugs.

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Section: Historical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“They're causing more harm than good”: a qualitative study exploring racism in harm reduction through the experiences of racialized people who use drugs

Godkhindi

Nussey

O’Shea³

2022

Harm Reduct J

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“…2022;12(2):34-42 deed, while Canada's crime rates are hitting all-time lows, the incarceration rates for Indigenous individuals continue to climb significantly. These data suggest that incarceration today remains a well-disguised and societally accepted system of racial control and dissimulated assimilation [31,32]. While the overrepresentation of certain races is an issue in Canada's prison system, it is also an issue in other countries, including in the USA and Australia [33,34].…”

Section: Whom Do We Incarcerate In Canada?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Implicit Bias and Health Disparities in the Incarcerated Population: A Review With a Focus on Neurological Care and the Canadian Perspective

et al. 2022

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Implicit bias held by health care providers can adversely affect the care provided to vulnerable populations and contribute to existing healthcare inequities. Few reports exist on the health of incarcerated individuals. We herein aimed to report how implicit bias affects the care of incarcerated and detained individuals, especially for those experiencing neurological diseases. We frame our review by providing an overview of the organization of the Canadian correctional system and of its population. We highlight the flagrant overrepresentation of Indigenous people and racialized groups in Canadian prisons, which is germane to the healthcare in this population, particularly when viewed through the lens of intersectionality. We also discuss health disparities between incarcerated individuals and the general population, whether it be in terms of neurological, psychiatric, or infectious diseases. Factors other than implicit bias found to affect medical care for these individuals include the perception of safety issues for both healthcare providers and patients in hospital and clinic settings, as well as resource limitations, confounding psychiatric comorbidities and non-organic disorders, and systemic barriers to adequate followup in this population. Using illustrative cases from our institution's experience, paired with findings from our review of the literature, we demonstrate that incarcerated or detained individuals represent a vulnerable group disadvantaged through a series of inequitable policies and actions, which put this group at higher risk of poor general and neurological health. Data specific to neurological diseases in this population are lacking, especially pertaining to long-term healthcare experiences and outcomes. In addition to highlighting literature gaps in this population, we propose ways in which barriers to care can be addressed, such as the development of multidisciplinary care teams to facilitate care and follow-up in these populations. Healthcare providers should make use of opportunities presented to diagnose and treat diseases in this population. Follow-up by specializing nursing and physician teams, as well as care during incarceration by medical and rehabilitation team members including occupational and physiotherapists may help build bridges between healthcare and carceral institutions. Education to raise awareness of implicit bias and mitigation strategies amongst health care providers is another way in which care provided to incarcerated individuals can be improved.

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“…Finally, in both countries, Aboriginal women are the fastest growing incarcerated population. This is of particular concern as Aboriginal women have specific social and cultural obligations in their communities, and their absence can result in gaps in the social structures, causing intergenerational trauma and ongoing contact with the criminal legal system (Baldry and Cunneen, 2014;McGuire and Murdoch, 2021;Marques and Monchalin, 2020;Tubex and Cox, 2020).…”

Section: Indigenous Overrepresentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Throughcare for Indigenous peoples leaving prison: Practices in two settler colonial states

Tubex

Rynne

Blagg

2021

European Journal of Probation

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The concept of throughcare as a means to prevent recidivism continues to attract considerable attention in Australia over the last couple of years. This is particularly the case for Indigenous peoples, as the transition to life after imprisonment proves to be particularly challenging for them, resulting in high rates of recidivism and ongoing overrepresentation in Australian prisons. In this contribution, we report on research we conducted in two Australian jurisdictions. After identifying the problems in developing effective throughcare strategies for Indigenous peoples leaving prison, we turn to Canada for examples of good practice. Canada was chosen for comparison as it is also a settler colonial state, experiencing similar problems of overrepresentation of their Indigenous population in the prison. After a critical analysis of these practices, we conclude that the reasons for a problematic re-integration of Indigenous peoples are related to a tendency to impose solutions and strategies developed in the white mainstream onto Indigenous communities without acknowledging traditional cultures and structures.

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The Mass Incarceration of Indigenous Women in Canada: A Colonial Tactic of Control and Assimilation

Cited by 13 publications

References 17 publications

“They're causing more harm than good”: a qualitative study exploring racism in harm reduction through the experiences of racialized people who use drugs

“They're causing more harm than good”: a qualitative study exploring racism in harm reduction through the experiences of racialized people who use drugs

Implicit Bias and Health Disparities in the Incarcerated Population: A Review With a Focus on Neurological Care and the Canadian Perspective

Throughcare for Indigenous peoples leaving prison: Practices in two settler colonial states

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