The Aboriginal Justice Strategy (AJS) supports Aboriginal community-based justice programs that offer alternatives to mainstream justice processes in appropriate circumstances.
Objectives of the AJS:
- Contribute to a decrease in the rates of victimization, crime and incarceration among Aboriginal people in communities with AJS programs
- Assist Aboriginal people in assuming greater responsibility for the administration of justice in their communities
- Provide better and more timely information about community-based justice programs funded by the AJS
- Reflect and include Aboriginal values within the justice system. A government review (February 2017) has found that the Aboriginal Justice Strategy designed to help indigenous offenders and victims of crime succeeds in improving safety and lowering rates of recidivism.
AJS program participation was consistently linked with reduced recidivism and a cost saving to the MJS. These results were consistent over the past three recidivism studies as well.
Results: Total savings of the 2014-15 AJS cohort (9,039 clients) to the MJS over eight years = $20,464,296
Despite success AJS budget has been reduced from $16.6M in 2012-13 to $15.5M in 2016-17 (Toronto Star, March 4, 2017). In addition, INAC is also NOT currently accepting applications for the Capacity Building Fund. The Capacity-Building Fund supports Aboriginal communities in developing the knowledge and skills needed to establish and manage community-based justice programs.
Challenges faced by AJS:
- AJS doesn’t have enough money to meet demand
- AJS can only hire “minimal” staff
- AJS is not available in most communities