Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative
The Government of Canada is committed to addressing overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canada's criminal justice system
As part of Public Safety Canada’s mission to build a safe and resilient Canada, the department and its portfolio organizations continue to support whole-of-government efforts to align legislation, programs, policies, and initiatives with:
- The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and
- The implementation of Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Public Safety Canada’s Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative (ICCI) aims to address the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Canada’s criminal justice system.
The ICCI engages with community-based organizations across Canada to support the safe rehabilitation and successful reintegration of Indigenous offenders while helping to ensure victims’ rights are protected and respected, enhancing community safety and well-being.
The ICCI supports grassroots efforts and organizations that:
- support the development of alternatives to incarceration projects; and
- provide reintegration support of Indigenous offenders.
The ICCI also provides early action under the implementation plan of the Federal Framework to Reduce Recidivism (FFRR). The FFRR, launched in 2022, is the first step in identifying crucial factors that impact why people reoffend and how to support safe and successful reintegration into the community. The FFRR also responds to recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) report to reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in the justice system.
Program Benefits:
- Increases communities’ capacities to respond to safety issues — including alternatives to incarceration and reintegration support — and to address the needs of Indigenous offenders returning to communities.
- Provides culturally relevant services — including counselling, treatment, life skills coaching, family reunification — and addresses the effects of residential schools and involvement with child welfare systems.
- Improves knowledge of what works in community reintegration and alternatives to incarceration with Indigenous offenders that contributes to preventing and reducing recidivism rates amongst this population and thereby, reducing Indigenous overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.
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