(In)-justice: An exploration of the dehumanization, victimization, criminalization, and over-incarceration of Indigenous women in Canada

Michaela M Mcguire,Danielle J Murdoch

doi:10.1177/14624745211001685

Abstract

Indigenous women are vastly overrepresented in Canada’s federal prisons and represent the fastest growing prison population in Canada. This critical commentary utilizes a decolonial framework to examine how being Indigenous and female increases one’s risk of being victimized, murdered, and subject to colonial control by exploring the connections between the construction of Indigenous women as less than human and the use of carceral space to control, destroy, and assimilate this population. Specifically, the authors apply Woolford and Gacek’s notion of genocidal carcerality to the intersectional forces of systemic racism and discrimination that result in their overincarceration. Further, the article critiques the Indigenization of Canada’s federal correctional service for failing to meet the needs of this population and for perpetuating an assimilative and stereotypical portrayal of Indigenous women that perpetuates colonial harm.

Highlights

Colonial harm has disproportionately affected Indigenous women since first contact, perpetuating their ongoing victimization, criminalization, and overincarceration in settler-colonial states, including Canada, New Zealand, and Australia (Monchalin, 2010; Monture-Angus, 1999a, 1999b).1 Arguably, imposed criminal justice systems (CJS) in these countries continue the settler state’s goals of control, assimilation, and de-humanization (Chartrand, 2019; Cunneen and Tauri, 2017) and are “a form of ongoing colonial and gendered racial state violence” (Murdocca, 2020: 32)
Imposed criminal justice systems (CJS) in these countries continue the settler state’s goals of control, assimilation, and de-humanization (Chartrand, 2019; Cunneen and Tauri, 2017) and are “a form of ongoing colonial and gendered racial state violence” (Murdocca, 2020: 32). It is beyond the scope of this article to examine Indigenous women’s experiences and involvement in the criminal justice systems in all three of these colonial states. This critical commentary contributes to the existing literature by examining the multitude of colonial harms that have resulted in societal indifference and racism towards Indigenous women in Canada
We aim to examine the carceral space of the prison as it has been utilized to control, destroy, and assimilate Indigenous women in Canada, critiquing the Indigenization of Correctional Service Canada (CSC) for failing to meet Indigenous incarcerated women’s needs and for promoting an assimilative stereotypical portrayal of Indigenous women that perpetuates colonial harm

Summary

Introduction

Colonial harm has disproportionately affected Indigenous women since first contact, perpetuating their ongoing victimization, criminalization, and overincarceration in settler-colonial states, including Canada, New Zealand, and Australia (Monchalin, 2010; Monture-Angus, 1999a, 1999b). Arguably, imposed criminal justice systems (CJS) in these countries continue the settler state’s goals of control, assimilation, and de-humanization (Chartrand, 2019; Cunneen and Tauri, 2017) and are “a form of ongoing colonial and gendered racial state violence” (Murdocca, 2020: 32). Imposed criminal justice systems (CJS) in these countries continue the settler state’s goals of control, assimilation, and de-humanization (Chartrand, 2019; Cunneen and Tauri, 2017) and are “a form of ongoing colonial and gendered racial state violence” (Murdocca, 2020: 32) It is beyond the scope of this article to examine Indigenous women’s experiences and involvement in the criminal justice systems in all three of these colonial states. As such, this critical commentary contributes to the existing literature by examining the multitude of colonial harms that have resulted in societal indifference and racism towards Indigenous women in Canada. The population of federally sentenced Indigenous women (FSIW) increased by 74% over the past decade (OCI, 2019) with Indigenous women representing 42% (n 1⁄4 291) of all federally sentenced women in Canada (OCI, 2020)

Objectives

Findings

Conclusion