The prison system is a microcosm of Canadian society and that means Aboriginal women in prisons are subject to the same history of bias and inequality as Aboriginal peoples in open society. Without a recognition of this discrimination and a dedicated approach to redressing the results of this discrimination, especially within the criminal justice and correctional systems the following situation will continue:
Aboriginal women now represent 30 % of the total population of federally sentenced women, yet they are less than 3% of the population of Canada.
See: CHRC Profile of Federal Sentenced Women at: http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/Legis&Poli/ReportFSW_RapportFSF/ConsultationPaper.asp#TOC2_2
Also CAEFS Submission to CHRC Inquiry (PDF)
The over representation is all the more pronounced among prisoners classified as maximum security, where Aboriginal women usually represent anywhere from 40-60% of the maximum security population. More often than not, this is as a result of a classification system that penalizes them for social and community deprivations beyond their control.
Aboriginal women are 14% less likely to be released into the community on conditional release than are non-Aboriginal women. Job training programs and educational opportunities are seldom geared to the specific needs of Aboriginal women.
See submission of Native Women's Association of Canada (PDF).
also CAEFS' Submission (PDF)
While there is a Healing Lodge for Aboriginal women serving federal prison sentences, but it only has a capacity of 30 women and there are generally 80-90 women in the federal prisons, so most Aboriginal women prisoners are precluded from accessing the Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge. Also because of the racist results of the classification system, as many of the Aboriginal women are classified as maximum security prisoners. Many are now confined in the new segregated maximum security units in the regional women's prisons, while others remain confined in segregated maximum security units in men's prisons.