Shaista Asmi

Shaista is Bangladeshi but was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and educated in an international school. She is currently finishing her degree at McGill University in Cognitive Neuroscience and International Development. Whether it be through voicing marginalized experiences or fighting for legislative change in court, Shaista is committed to understanding and tackling inequality and injustice.

Partner: Human Rights Watch

Policy Brief: Indigenous Youth Restorative Justice

Final Report: Indigenous Youth Restorative Justice

A defining feature of every stage in Canada’s Criminal Justice System (CJS) is Indigenous overrepresentation. An overlooked issue of national priorities is that this crisis continues to be ill-addressed. The youth context of Indigenous overrepresentation is of special concern because whilst comprising a mere 8 percent of the total Canadian youth population, a stagerring 46% of children behind bars are Indigenous. The continually increasing proportion of Indigenous youth admitted to correctional services indicates the CJS’s failure to mitigate Indigenous overrepresentation, thereby necessitating reconsideration of how to address the crisis. This report examines the impacts of colonialism, the CJS’s ineffective attempt to address Indigenous over-incarceration and failure of correctional services to sufficiently curb recidivism or aid reintegration of Indigenous youth. Consequently, recommendations for addressing the crisis through programs and policy focused on early prevention and culturally sensitive restorative justice are presented.

Keywords: Indigenous, youth, over-incarceration, criminal justice system, restorative justice, reintegration, Gladue, colonial legacy, intergenerational trauma, correctional services

Community Engagement Initiative: Healing Circles at Maison Waseskun