Evidence‐Based Practices with Justice‐Involved Indigenous Girls and Women

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors review some approaches to correctional assessment and programming for Indigenous girls and women to identify what is working, where the gaps for research, policy, and practice remain. They seek to inspire criminal justice agencies to move beyond a state of collective unconscious incompetence when it comes to effective correctional practices with Indigenous girls and women. Indigenous girls and women are the most vastly over-represented groups in the criminal justice systems of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Risk assessment plays an important role in the criminal justice system, informing security classification, treatment needs, and conditions for supervision. In New Zealand, a number of correctional programs are Tikanga Māori programs, designed to meet the needs of Māori women using culturally informed philosophy, knowledge, and practices. The programming needs of Indigenous women go beyond the regulation of antisocial behavior and common risk factors.