Canadian prisons ‘disturbingly and unconscionably Indigenized’: corrections watchdog

By Alessia Passafiume THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA- The federal prison watchdog says there are still too many Indigenous people behind bars in Canada. And nearly everything about the correctional system that can be measured, from the amount of time accused people spend behind bars before trial to the likelihood of their being placed in maximum-security institutions, perpetuates that discrimination. That’s what correctional investigator Ivan Zinger said on Thursday as he released a progress report that marked 10 years since he first flagged glaring issues in the system. The problem has gotten significantly worse, he said. “The disproportionate and growing number of Indigenous individuals behind bars is among Canada’s most pressing human rights issues, and it has featured prominently in all public reports issues by my office over the past decade,”…

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