NCJ Number
139221
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 34 Issue: 3-4 Dated: special issue (July-October 1992) Pages: 513-516
Date Published
1992
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The broad question of aboriginal justice is of considerable importance on Canada's national agenda, but more research is needed on crime and control in aboriginal communities.
Abstract
The community-level perspective adopted by the author indicates that individual aboriginal communities are being left out of the process of defining problems and finding solutions. Aboriginal women, in particular, believe they are being excluded from the national dialog. National aboriginal organizations, along with provincial and Federal Governments, need to acknowledge the critical importance of community input if they want to establish viable options for dealing with long-standing problems. With regard to research, Braithwaite has identified three components of looking at crime: genesis of deviance, response to crime and deviance, and functioning of the criminal justice system in communal and individualistic societies. Braithwaite maintains that colonization, modernization, and mass communication have weakened informal structures and traditional institutions that once reinforced communal values and maintained social integrity. He argues that maintaining healthy social bonds contributes to the effective institutionalization of controls on deviant behavior. More research, consultation, and innovative efforts, however, are essential to answer some of the problems facing aboriginal communities. 4 references