Published by Senator Robert Peterson on 20 November 2008
I feel there is an urgent need for the National Parole Board to review its practices to ensure that First Nations people are treated fairly and in a culturally sensitive matter. We must ensure that efforts are made for appropriate First Nations representation on the National Parole Board and among staff and professional advisers.
The unfair sentencing practices faced by Aboriginals, their higher rate of revocations for breach of parole and the consistent over-classification of that group on the part of Correctional Service Canada must be addressed.
The proportion of full parole applications resulting in reviews by the National Parole Board is noticeably lower for Aboriginal offenders than it is for any other group in the country. This issue must also be examined and acted upon.
The devastating social problems that lead to disproportionately higher First Nations crime are known and must be dealt with in appropriate ways. However, we must not allow these problems to be made worse by institutions that do not function properly and aggravate an already complicated social dynamic.