Prisons & Criminalization Reduce criminalization and incarceration

6. Prisons & Criminalization

Reduce criminalization and incarceration

• 
  The government of Canada, as well as provincial and territorial governments and courts, must stop the criminalization, incarceration and forced confinement of teenage girls in response to poverty, male violence and colonization. [Bricks and Mortar]
  

• 
  Comply with the principle that depriving children of liberty should only be used as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate time. Immediate measures must be taken to reverse the crisis in remand: Aboriginal youth, particularly those in Northern and remote communities spend unacceptable time in pre-trial detention. [Gender Matters]
  

Ensure inter-jurisdictional and inter-agency coordination of policing and law enforcement and establish improved federal, provincial, and territorial police accountability mechanisms that include both civilian oversight and civilian investigation, particularly for adherence with constitutional requirements of equal protection and access to justice. [Gender Matters]

Implement mandatory capacity building on culturally relevant, gender sensitive practices with Aboriginal women and girls who are victims of crime and/ or who are criminalized. This training should incorporate information on the historical impacts of residential schools on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women and girls specifically and be delivered to all who work within the criminal law system, public safety and child welfare. The Ministries concerned should ensure Aboriginal women’s organizations contribute significantly to the design, delivery and evaluation of such programs. [Gender Matters]

Diversion and prevention programs

Recognize the right of Aboriginal Peoples to promote develop and maintain institutional structures, traditions, procedures and practices, including distinct juridical systems and customs in accordance with international law, as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP, article 34), and enhance support for gender-specific Aboriginal diversion programs that are sustainable and equitably funded. [Gender Matters]

Development of a range of early prevention, gender-specific support and cultural/educational programs for First Nations, Inuit and Métis girls at risk of, or in conflict with the law. [Gender Matters]

Develop specific strategies to prevent the incarceration of Aboriginal women, girls and boys with developmental disabilities, and mental health needs. [Gender Matters]

Ensure that women with children and family commitments, who have to go to drug court/ community court programs, are provided with the necessary resources to complete these programs. [Gender Matters]

Communities should have the opportunity to build capacity and deliver pre-charge treatment that is culturally specific to Aboriginal Peoples; [Gender Matters]

Treatment should be a pre-charge option. Higher risk candidates should be allowed into programs. [Gender Matters]

7. Mental Health & Addiction

Supported housing and services

Implement supportive housing, including: Group living situations for persons with developmental disabilities with staff support attached to them - The clients, who are on income support, can share in paying rent on their apartment, and staff support can be funded through the local Health and Social Services Authority. [You Just Blink...]

Outreach support for persons with mental health needs - These adults usually have their own apartments (not shared with others), and receive support for medication administration, budgeting, food shopping, and general problem solving. This also works well for young adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), regardless of where they are living (e.g. independently or with agencies like the Salvation Army). [You Just Blink...]

Develop collaborative frameworks with Aboriginal community organizations and appropriate developmental and mental health services. Resources must be targeted to implement strategies and frameworks. [Gender Matters]

Detoxification and addiction recovery programs

• 
  The necessity of drug treatment for girls cannot be overstated. Many homeless young women are living with addictions, some are in recovery, and others wish to undergo treatment. Yet there is very little treatment available for youth, and virtually none is specifically for girls or based on feminist principles. [Bricks and Mortar]
  
• 
  Assess program and policies with the goal of improving access to mental health care services and substance abuse treatment for young women and their families. [On Her Own]
  
• 
  Canada, along with the provinces and territories, must fund detox services and residential and non-residential addiction treatment programs specifically for teenage girls. Treatment programs should be provided by community and health agencies. Girl-only detox and treatment programs which respond to the multiple issues girls face, including male violence and exploitation, are critical for girls who are homeless and addicted. Voluntary detox and treatment are critical to helping girls be safe and healthy. [Bricks and Mortar]
  
• 
  Policies and programs need to focus on keeping people with addictions alive using a harm-reduction approach that provides housing, health care, nutrition and other essentials for daily survival. More addiction treatment services are needed, along with implementation of a harm-reduction approach. Priority items for addiction treatment include:
  

• 
  immediate access to detox facilities;
  
• 
  long-term addiction treatment;
  
• 
  education about addiction and outreach in schools (talk to youth honestly about alcohol and drugs, present them with realistic consequences); and
  
• 
  counselling along with addiction treatment to help them deal with trauma that contributes to substance misuse. [On Her Own]
  

End the practice of unsafe, co-ed addictions treatment programs; have gender specific learning/ treatment programs instead. [Gender Matters]

Lengthen the time people can spend in addictions treatment programs and include cultural and educational programming support to help Aboriginal women and girls begin to deal with the traumas behind their addictions. [Gender Matters]

Include extended family members in assessment/treatment /and release plans when possible ensuring Aboriginal communities role in overseeing, and supporting those who go through treatment court. [Gender Matters]

Ensure Aboriginal advisors are on their treatment program boards and committees and have the opportunity to play key roles in decision-making. [Gender Matters]