Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Recommendation 134: Redirect growing municipal, provincial, and federal police and prison budgets towards solutions that increase safety for Indigenous women such as more housing, child care, income, healthcare, mental health and addictions services, and healing supports.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Legal and judicial reform

Recommendation 149: Repeal all mandatory minimum prison sentences for non-violent offences. Implement legislation to allow trial judges to depart from mandatory minimum sentences and restrictions on the use of conditional sentences.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Legal and judicial reform

Recommendation 155: Reform the drug treatment court process so as to not require a guilty plea to access the program.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Legal and judicial reform

Recommendation 156: Increase the ways in which failures to appear and other violations can be quashed early in the judicial process and take proactive steps to clear bench warrants for Indigenous women.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Access to justice

Recommendation 162: Expand the number and scope of courts like B.C.’s First Nations Court that emphasize healing plans over punishment.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Correctional facilities

Recommendation 168: Full decarceration of Indigenous women in the federal and provincial corrections system. No Indigenous woman should ever be sentenced into a colonial system.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Correctional facilities

Recommendation 169: Increased resourcing, capacity, and funding for section 81 Healing Lodges. Indigenous nations and urban Indigenous organizations must be able to operate Healing Lodges on a long-term basis and with full wrap-around supports. Change the policy of not allowing women with maximum-security classifications to be at CSC-operated healing lodges and increase access to all healing lodges.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Correctional facilities

Recommendation 170: Increased resources, capacity, and funding for section 84 agreements so that Indigenous nations are compensated and can provide full support for Indigenous women seeking section 84 releases. Indigenous communities and organizations should exercise control and self-determination in the development and implementation of reintegration plans.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Correctional facilities

Recommendation 171: Start all Indigenous women prisoners at a minimum-security level and remove the requirement to automatically incarcerate Indigenous women in a maximum security facility for the first two years of a murder sentence.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Correctional facilities

Recommendation 172: End the current classification scale and reassess all Indigenous women currently classified at the maximum-security level using a gender and culturally-responsive classification tool.