Why Indigenous Canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the police

Abstract

Recent widespread protests and intensive media coverage of actual and alleged acts of police misconduct against members of vulnerable populations (e.g., Indigenous and racialized persons, mentally ill and/or addicted persons) overrepresented in the criminal justice system have renewed interest internationally in the factors influencing civilian complaints against police. In Canada, a major concern exists regarding how Indigenous persons who feel improperly treated by the police perceive and confront barriers to making formal complaints about such treatment. This study focuses on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the police agency providing services to the majority of rural and northern reserve communities. Our survey and interviews with influential “community informants” (in this instance community court workers) with intimate knowledge of such local communities, shared culture and language, and vicarious appreciation of the experiences of community members support the view that Indigenous persons do encounter significant barriers to launching formal complaints and are consistent with other research literature. We discuss our findings, raise policy considerations for decision makers such as police leaders and police complaints bodies, and outline implications for future research.

Plagues in Our Criminal Justice System

“…This suggests a correlation between police misconduct and Indigenous overrepresentation in justice systems. This of course is not unique to Australia, forms of systemic discrimination and racism exist in many different countries and legal systems (Chaney & Robertson, 2015;Jackson et al, 2022;Kiedrowski et al, 2021;Laniyonu, 2021;Palmater, 2016).…”

Fostering Change: Black Women's Motivations for Participating in Intimate Partner Violence Research

“…Indeed, women's narratives, as in Evelyn's case, alluded to the racial inequities that are prevalent in society Duhaney and more specifically exist within the criminal justice system; these views are well supported by Canadian and U.S data. Black people are more likely to be stopped and searched than their white counterparts (Wortley, 2019), be arrested (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2018), have encounters resulting in police use of force (Kiedrowski et al, 2015), be over-represented in correctional facilities (Government of Canada, 2022) and receive longer sentences (Russell-Brown, 2009). The oversurveillance and criminalization of Black women and men create a high level of fear and distrust (Wortley & Owusu-Bempah, 2009).…”

Contextualizing the Experiences of Black Women Arrested for Intimate Partner Violence in Canada

“…Similarly, the concepts of anti-Blackness or anti-Black racism have been used to conceptualize and articulate the manifestations of systemic racism ( Benjamin, 2003 ). Evidence of racially biased policing and anti-Black racism have been documented by scholars (e.g., Barrett et al, 2011 ; Gabbidon et al, 2011 ; Kiedrowski et al, 2015 ; Maynard, 2017 ; Wortley & Jung, 2020 ; Wortley & Owusu-Bempah, 2011 ). When asked about their encounters with the police, a high percentage of Black people report being treated unfairly by the police ( Brunson, 2007 ; Gabbidon et al, 2011 ; Najdowski et al, 2015 ).…”