Non-indigenous Groups Research Articles

Pathfinders: Realizing Reconciliation Through Lessons Learned

In 2016, a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars came together to imagine a better world through a bold approach to education at the Werklund School of Education. This imagining took the form of a newly designed graduate pathway program which focused on meaningfully and actively responding to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) (2015) 94 Calls to Action. Central to the design of our program is the inclusion of a capstone service-learning project that asks graduate students to bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in designing and delivering projects of mutual benefit. In sharing insights from their respective learning journeys, our students reveal the complexities and challenges of reconciliatory work but also its many rewards. Further, in sharing these courageous acts, we hope to inspire others to take action.

Accounting information system and non-financial performance in small firm: Empirical research based on ethnicity

The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of accounting information systems (AIS) alignment on non-financial performance. This research aims to enrich the literature on AIS implementation among indigenous and non-indigenous ethnics. Using a mail questionnaire survey, data were collected from 87 small firms’ owners. To describe the respondents’ demography, the research data were analyzed by means of using descriptive statistics. The hypothesis was tested via multiple regression to recognize the effects of AIS alignment on non-financial performance and also independent sample t-test was carried out to examine the difference for each indicator. The results of this research show that there was a positive effect of AIS alignment on small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) non-financial performance, both indigenous and non-indigenous (Chinese). There was no difference in perception of AIS alignment but significant difference in non-financial performance between indigenous and non-indigenous groups within our sample. This research issue is original as it has not been studied before. This research provides better understanding of the indigenous and Chinese ethnics’ differences and attitudes when it comes to planning and utilizing information systems to achieve better performance.

Postpartum depression prevalence and risk factors among Indigenous, non-Indigenous and immigrant women in Canada.

The social position of different minority groups in contemporary societies suggests different risk factors for postpartum depression (PPD). In this study, we used two cut-offs of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) to examine prevalence and risk factors for PPD among mothers participating in the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey (MES), and to compare Indigenous, Canadian-born non-Indigenous and immigrant mothers. We used cross-sectional nationwide data from the 2006 MES (unweighted N = 6237, weighted N = 74,231) and conducted multivariate logistic regression models for EPDS ≥ 10 and EPDS ≥ 13 to explore risk factors for the total sample of mothers and in each study group. Prevalence (%, 95 % CI) of EPDS ≥ 10 and EPDS ≥ 13 was significantly higher among immigrant (12.2 %, 10.2-14.2 and 24.1 %, 21.5-26.7) and Indigenous (11.1 %, 7.5-14.7 and 21.2 %, 16.5-25.9) compared to Canadian-born non-Indigenous mothers (5.6 %, 4.9-6.3 and 12.9 %, 11.9-13.9). Multivariate analysis of the total sample showed similar risk factors for EPDS ≥ 10 and EPDS ≥ 13 (ethnicity, low education, ≥ low income cut-off, taking antidepressants, experiencing abuse, low social support). Stratification by study group revealed differing risk factors in each group for EPDS ≥ 10 and EPDS ≥ 13. Indigenous mothers had the most distinct risk factors, followed by immigrant mothers. Non-indigenous Canadian-born mothers had risk factors most similar to the total sample. Differing prevalence and risk factors for PPD within and across study groups suggest that instead of a universal approach, tailored programs and services to prevent PPD in Indigenous, immigrant and non-Indigenous Canadian-born groups could better protect the mental health of Canadian mothers.

The Struggle behind “Struggle and Story”: A Canada 150 Exhibition at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library


 
 
 Curating a library exhibition, especially one marking an historic event like the sesquicentennial of Canadian Confederation, is much more than simply mounting a show. In many ways, it is the equivalent of writing an essay, although in physical form. The curator initially assembles items — manuscripts, printed books, and images — that provide the raw material for an argument. Out of that initial foraging and research, a theme emerges. The conversation that then takes place between “text” and initial ideas eventually leads to a tension of sorts, since the items selected both support and challenge the curator’s preconceived notions. As the process evolves, a thesis emerges which provides the unifying point around which the exhibition revolves. As a result, it is meant to offer an experience with which the viewer is invited to interact, agree, or disagree.
 The exhibition mounted at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in 2017, “Struggle and Story: Canada in Print,” had its origins in the curator’s romantic memories of Canada’s Centennial of 1967. While collecting material from the current collections, however, it rapidly became clear that telling the story of Canada through print could not have the same patriotic slant that had been a prominent feature of the celebrations fifty years ago. Among other things, it was the absence of items, crucial to telling that story, which would largely shape the exhibition. The silent voices of the Indigenous people, women, and minority groups that struggled to be heard over the traditional narrative altered the ways in which the displays came to be organized. The final result was very different from the original concept. In the end, mounting such an exhibition becomes a form of historical bibliography, inasmuch as it has to account for the ways in which our ancestors had chosen which stories would be preserved and which would be omitted, which would be collected, and which would not be deemed important in the library’s holdings. An exercise such as this one may highlight the lacunae in a library’s collection development policy, but it can also point the way towards expanding the institutional mandate to include the stories of those that previous generations may have disregarded.
 
 

Language policy and language planning in mainland Southeast Asia: Myanmar and Lisu

Abstract Most nations in mainland Southeast Asia and elsewhere have one national language as a focus of national identity and unity, supported by a language policy which promotes and develops this language. Indigenous and immigrant minority groups within each nation may be marginalized; their languages may become endangered. Some of the official national language policies and ethnic policies of mainland Southeast Asian nations aim to support both a national language and indigenous minority languages, but usually the real policy is less positive. It is possible to use sociolinguistic and educational strategies to maintain the linguistic heritage and diversity of a nation, develop bilingual skills among minority groups, and integrate minorities successfully into the nations where they live, but this requires commitment and effort from the minorities themselves and from government and other authorities. The main focus of this paper is two case studies: one of language policy and planning in Myanmar, whose language policy and planning has rarely been discussed before. The other is on the Lisu, a minority group in Myanmar and surrounding countries, who have been relatively successful in maintaining their language.

Refusing (Mis)Recognition: Navigating Multiple Marginalization in the U.S. Two Spirit Movement

I focus on the discursive strategies within Two Spirit events and groups that center the definition of ‘Two Spirit’ first and foremost as an Indigenous identity by using both unifying/mass terms (Native American, glbtiq) and culturally & community specific terms (specific tribe names, Two Spirit). Rather than selecting a “right” term, such conversations highlight the constant, simultaneous positionings negotiated by Two Spirit people in their daily lives, and the tensions between recognizability and accuracy; communality and specificity; indigeneity and settler culture; and the burden multiply marginalized people carry in negotiating between all of those metaphorical and literal spaces. Drawing on Simpson’s (2014) concept of the politics of refusal, I demonstrate how Two Spirit individuals utilize available categories of identity, not as either/or binaries but rather as overlapping concepts— differentiated along micro- and macro- scales— to refuse attempts to both reduce the Two Spirit identity to one that is based either in gender or sexuality, and the appropriation of the identity and movement by non-Indigenous individuals and groups within broader national and global queer movements.

Corrigendum to: Widening participation of Māori and Pasifika students in health careers: evaluation of two health science academies.

Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the short-term outcomes of two health science academies established by a district health board in South Auckland, New Zealand, to create a health workforce pipeline for local Māori and Pasifika students.Methods A mixed-methods approach was used, involving background discussions with key informants to generate an initial logic model of how the academies work, followed by secondary analysis of students' records relating to retention and academic achievement, a survey of senior academy students' interest in particular health careers and face-to-face interviews and focus groups with students, families and teachers.Results Academy students are collectively achieving better academic results than their contemporaries, although selection decisions are likely to contribute to these results. Academies are retaining students, with over 70% of students transitioning from Year 11 to Years 12 and 13. Senior students are expressing long-term ambitions to work in the health sector.Conclusions Health science academies show promise as an innovative approach to supporting Māori and Pasifika students prepare for a career in the health professions. Evaluating the long-term outcomes of the academies is required to determine their contribution to addressing inequities in the local health workforce.What is known about the topic? Despite progress in health workforce participation for underrepresented indigenous and ethnic minority groups in New Zealand, significant disparities persist. Within this context, a workforce development pipeline that targets preparation of secondary school students is recommended to address identified barriers in the pursuit of health careers.What does this paper add? We provide an evaluation of an innovative district health board initiative supporting high school students that is designed to ensure their future workforce is responsive to the needs of the local community.What are the implications for practitioners? The findings have implications for decision makers in health workforce planning regarding the benefits of investing at an early stage of the workforce development pipeline in order to build an equitable and diverse health professions workforce.

Proximate determinants of tuberculosis in Indigenous peoples worldwide: a systematic review.

Indigenous peoples worldwide carry a disproportionate tuberculosis burden. There is an increasing awareness of the effect of social determinants and proximate determinants such as alcohol use, overcrowding, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, substance misuse, HIV, food insecurity and malnutrition, and smoking on the burden of tuberculosis. We aimed to understand the potential contribution of such determinants to tuberculosis in Indigenous peoples and to document steps taken to address them. We did a systematic review using seven databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Global Health, BIOSIS Previews, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library). We identified English language articles published from Jan 1, 1980, to Dec 20, 2017, reporting the prevalence of proximate determinants of tuberculosis and preventive programmes targeting these determinants in Indigenous communities worldwide. We included any randomised controlled trials, controlled studies, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, case reports, and qualitative research. Exclusion criteria were articles in languages other than English, full text not available, population was not Indigenous, focused exclusively on children or older people, and studies that focused on pharmacological interventions. Of 34 255 articles identified, 475 were eligible for inclusion. Most studies confirmed a higher prevalence of proximate determinants in Indigenous communities than in the general population. Diabetes was more frequent in Indigenous communities within high-income countries versus in low-income countries. The prevalence of alcohol use was generally similar to that among non-Indigenous groups, although patterns of drinking often differed. Smoking prevalence and smokeless tobacco consumption were commonly higher in Indigenous groups than in non-Indigenous groups. Food insecurity was highly prevalent in most Indigenous communities evaluated. Substance use was more frequent in Indigenous inhabitants of high-income countries than of low-income countries, with wide variation across Indigenous communities. The literature pertaining to HIV, crowding, and housing conditions among Indigenous peoples was too scant to draw firm conclusions. Preventive programmes that are culturally appropriate targeting these determinants appear feasible, although their effectiveness is largely unproven. Indigenous peoples were generally reported to have a higher prevalence of several proximate determinants of tuberculosis than non-Indigenous peoples, with wide variation across Indigenous communities. These findings emphasise the need for community-led, culturally appropriate strategies to address smoking, food insecurity, and diabetes in Indigenous populations as important public health goals in their own right, and also to reduce the burden of tuberculosis. Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The ‘Culturally and Linguistically Diverse’ (CALD) label: A critique using African migrants as exemplar

This article critiques the widely accepted official label 'Culturally and Linguistically Diverse' (CALD), used in Australia to refer mainly to Australia's non-Indigenous ethnic groups other than the English-speaking Anglo-Saxon majority. Our main contention is that it is a racialised and racialising label that perpetuates institutional racism, providing a conceptual excuse for legitimising privilege and altruistic governmentality over minority groups, while inferiorising and projecting these groups as an analogous population who need 'fixing'. The article draws on the sociological construct of labelling, through which we analyse the framing of CALD people in the literature as 'deviants' using Black African Migrants in Australia as exemplars. We propose that CALD labelling is counterproductive because it hinders social integration, divides people into 'us and them', homogenises, blurs particular lived experiences and needs, and ignores intersectional issues.

Mutagenicity of Ayahuasca and Their Constituents to the Salmonella/Microsome Assay.

Ayahuasca is a beverage used in religious rituals of indigenous and nonindigenous groups, and its therapeutic potential has been investigated. Ayahuasca is obtained by decoction of the Banisteriopsis caapi that contains β-carbolines (harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine) plus Psychotria viridis that contains N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Although plants used in folk medicine are recognized as safe, many of them have genotoxic potential. The Salmonella/microsome assay is usually the first line of the mutagenicity evaluation of products intended for therapeutic use. Our objective was to evaluate the mutagenicity of ayahuasca beverage and their constituents using the Salmonella/microsome assay with TA98 and TA100. We analyzed two ayahuasca samples, and also beverage samples prepared each individual plant P. viridis and B. caapi. Harmine and harmaline were also tested. All beverage samples were chemically characterized and both ayahuasca samples could be considered representative of the beverages consumed in religious rituals. Both ayahuasca samples were mutagenic for TA98 and TA100 with and without S9, with similar potencies. The beverage obtained from P. viridis was not mutagenic, and beverage obtained from B. caapi was mutagenic for TA98 with and without S9. Harmine was nonmutagenic and harmaline was mutagenic only for TA98 without S9. Harmaline fully explain the mutagenicity observed with TA98 without S9 of both ayahuasca samples and the B. caapi beverage samples. We conclude that the ayahuasca samples are mutagenic and this effect is partially explained by harmaline, one of the β-carbolines present in the beverage. Other mutagenic compounds seem to be present and need to be further investigated. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 60:269-276, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cultural tourism: A review of recent research and trends

Abstract This review article traces the development of cultural tourism as a field of research over the past decade, identifying major trends and research areas. Cultural tourism has recently been re-affirmed by the UNWTO as a major element of international tourism consumption, accounting for over 39% of tourism arrivals. Cultural tourism research has also grown rapidly, particularly in fields such as cultural consumption, cultural motivations, heritage conservation, cultural tourism economics, anthropology and the relationship with the creative economy. Major research trends include the shift from tangible to intangible heritage, more attention for indigenous and other minority groups and a geographical expansion in the coverage of cultural tourism research. The field also reflects a number of ‘turns’ in social science, including the mobilities turn, the performance turn and the creative turn. The paper concludes with a number of suggestions for future research directions, such as the development of trans-modern cultures and the impacts of new technologies.

HEGEMONY AND AGENCY IN STAGED MAH MERI INDIGENOUS MUSIC AND DANCE PERFORMANCES FOR TOURISTS IN MALAYSIA

The Mah Meri people are one of eighteen indigenous minority groups in Peninsular Malaysia. The unique Main Jo'oh, their music and dance ritual, is often featured in tourist events, many government-sponsored. While such staged performances support the perpetuation of ethnic identity, the Mah Meri are also subjected to changing levels of hegemony and indigenous agency. I suggest that there is a dynamic interaction between hegemony and agency in Mah Meri staged authentic performances – the hegemony of tourist agents’ touristic concepts, the twenty-first century tourist gaze and the emergence of indigenous agency in sustaining the values and customs in their presentations. Through ethnographic fieldwork, interviews and observations, this article shows examples in which Mah Meri mediated cultural performances, perceived as ‘authentic’ by tourists, were actually shaped by the dialectics of compliance, negotiation and resistance between the Mah Meri, tourist agents and outsiders. This paper promotes a better understanding of the changing meanings of traditional performances recontextualised for stage performances. Keywords: agency, hegemony, indigenous music, Mah Meri, tourism

Trends in Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Multidomain Well-Being: Decomposing Persistent, Maturation, and Period Effects in Emerging Adulthood

We explore whether disadvantage exists in domain-specific happiness with Indigenous youth of Australia. Data were collected from 52,270 Australians aged 15–28 years, 4% of whom were Indigenous, and came from four birth cohorts with data collected between the years 1997 and 2013. Random and fixed effects decomposed differences in well-being into persistent (present at the earliest wave and consistent over time), maturation (changes over age), and period (changes in response to a particular year) components. Results suggested that happiness differences were small to moderate but favored non-Indigenous groups. There were small, persistent differences in happiness with social and future prospects and developmental differences for happiness with life and government. Period effects were observed for happiness with the government. This research reveals that a nuanced approach to Indigenous well-being is needed including not just a multidimensional approach but also one that is sensitive of the means by which disadvantage may emerge.

Identifying motives for engagement in major sport events

PurposeMajor sport events are facing increasing demands. These events are no longer “just” about sport, but are now expected to be sustainable, multicultural, democratic and convey specific political values such as “unity,” “identity” and “peace.” The increasing demands on major sport events place local hosts in a difficult situation, accommodating both the organization of the sport competitions and the ideologies connected to these events. The purpose of this paper is to identify motives for engagement among stakeholders of the 2017 Barents Summer Games. Furthermore, it investigates how and in what ways these motives are conflicting, and what the consequences of conflicting motives of engagement can be for the development of innovation in major sport events.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical data in this study are derived from one year of ethnographic fieldwork, focusing on participant observations of the planning and execution of the 2017 Barents Summer Games.FindingsThe analysis identifies key economic, socio-cultural, political and athletic motives for engagement among six different stakeholders involved in the games. Additionally, the results indicate how there are both conflicting economic, socio-cultural and political motives for engagement among the stakeholders. Finally, the analysis illustrates how conflicting motives for engagement constitutes an innovation barrier for major sport events.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based on ethnographic fieldwork of the planning and execution of the 2017 Barents Summer Games, a major sport event in the Barents region. The Barents region is characterized by its unique nature and vulnerable environment, with wide tundra areas in the north and extensive boreal forests zones in the south. The region represents an area as large as Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France (mainland) and Spain (mainland) together, totaling 1.75m km2. Several indigenous peoples and minority groups live in the region, such as the Sami and the Komi. Hence, the context of the study is quite unique and the results may not be transferable to other major sport events with regional significance.Originality/valuePrevious research on motives in major sport events have focused on motives and motivation for engagement among volunteers in major sport events. The paper contributes to this research field by studying motives of engagement among stakeholders from private, public and volunteer sectors in a major international sport event with regional significance.

Structural Genocide and Institutionalized Racism in Canada: The Department of Indian Affairs and Framing of Indigenous Peoples

This review problematizes the health and socio-economic disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, which I argue is due to the role of the Canadian government. Specifically, I analyse the continuous process of Indigenous administrative subjugation under Canadian rule to uncover the intrinsic racial predilections of Canadian government policy toward First Nations peoples in Canada’s Prairie West provinces through the application of diagnostic frame analysis as a multidisciplinary research method to analyse how people understand situations and activities. My research results reveal the racialized marginalization of First Nation peoples through the administrative regimes in Canada as a continuous contemporary process established in the late nineteenth and twentieth century. In exposing the structural discrimination of First Nations peoples, my research introduces the reader to the concept of political master narratives, or ‘imaginaries’. These imaginaries foster the health and socio-economic disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in Canadian society. The critical analysis of these historically structural government instituted imaginaries and the indirect, exponentially higher chances of tuberculosis and related diseases and deaths among Indigenous peoples’ challenge conclusions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on cultural genocide. This study proposes structural genocide as a more accurate and inclusive term for the continuous institutional marginalization of not only Indigenous peoples as seen in this case study of the Department of Indian Affairs (DIA) but for all Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Widening participation of Māori and Pasifika students in health careers: evaluation of two health science academies.

Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the short-term outcomes of two health science academies established by a district health board in South Auckland, New Zealand, to create a health workforce pipeline for local Māori and Pasifika students. Methods A mixed-methods approach was used, involving background discussions with key informants to generate an initial logic model of how the academies work, followed by secondary analysis of students' records relating to retention and academic achievement, a survey of senior academy students' interest in particular health careers and face-to-face interviews and focus groups with students, families and teachers. Results Academy students are collectively achieving better academic results than their contemporaries, although selection decisions are likely to contribute to these results. Academies are retaining students, with over 70% of students transitioning from Year 11 to Years 12 and 13. Senior students are expressing long-term ambitions to work in the health sector. Conclusions Health science academies show promise as an innovative approach to supporting Māori and Pasifika students prepare for a career in the health professions. Evaluating the long-term outcomes of the academies is required to determine their contribution to addressing inequities in the local health workforce. What is known about the topic? Despite progress in health workforce participation for underrepresented indigenous and ethnic minority groups in New Zealand, significant disparities persist. Within this context, a workforce development pipeline that targets preparation of secondary school students is recommended to address identified barriers in the pursuit of health careers. What does this paper add? We provide an evaluation of an innovative district health board initiative supporting high school students that is designed to ensure their future workforce is responsive to the needs of the local community. What are the implications for practitioners? The findings have implications for decision makers in health workforce planning regarding the benefits of investing at an early stage of the workforce development pipeline in order to build an equitable and diverse health professions workforce.

On the justification of intergroup violence: The roles of procedural justice, police legitimacy, and group identity in attitudes toward violence among indigenous people.

Objective Why do people justify intergroup violence? In this paper we examine attitudes towards violence perpetrated by indigenous activists to claim for rights and violence by police officers against indigenous people. We assess the role that perceived police legitimacy, procedurally just policing towards the indigenous minority group and group identity play in the justification of intergroup violence. Method We present findings from two surveys (Study 1, n=1493, Study 2, n=198) and an experiment (Study 3, n=76) conducted among indigenous people in Chile. Studies 1 and 2 measure perceptions of police procedural justice towards indigenous people. Study 3 manipulates the fairness with which police officers treat indigenous people. Effects of procedural justice on police legitimacy (Studies 2 and 3) and attitudes towards violence for social change and social control (Studies 1-3) are analyzed. Result Higher perceptions of procedurally just policing towards indigenous people predict more support for police violence and less support for violence perpetrated by indigenous activists. These effects are mediated by perceived police legitimacy and moderated by identification with the minority group. Among people who identify strongly with their indigenous group, perceiving high procedural justice predicts greater police legitimacy, greater support for police violence, and lesser support for violence perpetrated by indigenous activists.

When Do Electoral Quotas Advance Indigenous Representation?: Evidence from the Taiwanese Legislature

The Republic of China on Taiwan has long reserved legislative seats for its indigenous minorities, known collectively as yuanzhumin, providing an important avenue of influence in national politics for these historically marginalized peoples. In practice, however, these legislators have struggled to provide effective pan-indigenous representation. A key reason is that they are chosen via the personalistic single non-transferable vote electoral system, under which parties making pan-indigenous appeals have repeatedly failed to win any seats. Cooperation among indigenous legislators has been consistently hampered by socioeconomic, factional, tribal, constituency, and especially partisan divisions. At a few critical moments, yuanzhumin representatives have managed to overcome these divisions and use their collective bargaining power to win important changes to state policies. Nevertheless, the legislative achievements of the indigenous representatives as a whole have been relatively modest. The Taiwan case thus provides a cautionary tale for indigenous and other minority group representation: the mere creation of reserved seats, however well-intentioned, is not enough to ensure that collective group interests are well-articulated in representative institutions.

English

This study explains chief causes of covert and overt conflict between indigenous and non-indigenous ethnic groups of Metekel zone, since 1991. For the sake of convenience, however, particular emphasis is given to the conflict between Agew and Gumuz. The study employs relational ethnography research design. The data collected through in-depth interview, observation, informal conversation, and review of available documents is analysed thematically. The conflict between the two ethnic groups in the period is explained based on the assumption of horizontal and longitudinal deprivation. The paper demonstrates that coincidence of relative deprivation with ethnic line is creating favourable conditions for violent conflicts in the study area. In the period, Agews felt deprived of political resources in contrast to their history and Gumuz. On the other hand, though Gumuz are politically empowered, the socio-economic status of the people is hardly comparable with the Agew and other non-indigenous ethnic groups. The salience of ethnicity in the period has also been providing opportunity for elites to mobilize the mass for violence. But, the study argues the transformation of dormant conflicts into violence is determined by cost and benefit analysis of the action rather than by a mere mobilization of elites. Accordingly, in the period instigating violence seems persuasive for Gumuz than Agew. The finding implies that when the underlying conditions of relative deprivation are eliminated, the motive to use violence as a political instrument can also be minimized. Key words: Ethnicity, ethnic conflict, relative deprivation, ethnic federalism, indigenous ethnic groups, non-indigenous ethnic groups.

Mental Health Screening and Differences in Access to Care among Prisoners.

Disparities in mental health care exist between regional and demographic groups. While screening is recommended as part of a correctional mental health strategy, little work has been done to explore whether it can narrow regional and demographic disparities in access to care. We compared treatment access rates by sex, race, age, and region in relation to screening results. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative data. All 7965 admissions to the prison system were followed for a median of 14 months. Males and non-Indigenous minority racial groups had lower rates of treatment regardless of screening results; they were less likely both to self-report needs and to receive treatment if these needs were reported. Regional differences revealed higher treatment rates in Atlantic Canada and Ontario, as well as higher rates of inmates self-reporting needs on screening who did not receive treatment in the Atlantic, Québec, and Pacific regions. There were minimal differences between inmates of different age groups. Findings suggest potential resource gaps and/or differences in the performance of screening to detect mental health needs across demographic and regional groups. Screening did not narrow, and may have widened, differences between groups.