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Canada fournira une traduction sur demande. ----~s~COLu~O:========================================================== -~-:~~· . .,~, ~ ;:: t" .. ;!! .(). t) ~~ ~0 PR£V£NT10N ====~v~NTIO~~~~======================================================= Vol. 3, No.4, February, 1986 A bi-monthly publication of the British Columbia Crime Prevention Association Copynght of th1s document does not belong to the Crown. >:oper authonzation must be obtained from the author for ; .;(]ymtended use j l_es droits d'auteur du present document n'appartiennent as aI'Etat. Toute utilisation du contenu du present <~Cu ment doit etre approuvee prealablement par !'auteur. PR£VYNTION Commentary Native Crime Prevention o o o the development to prevent increasing numbers of Aborigi­ nal people entering the criminal justice sys­ ofrecreationaland tem , all elements of this circle must be addressed. The capacity to respond in this cultural programming manner goes well beyond the mandate of in Aboriginal commu­ any single Ministry or jurisdiction . For ex­ ample, the federal Ministry of Solicitor nities often leads to a General recognizes that the development of recreational and cultural programming reduction of crime in in Aboriginal communities often leads to a reduction of crime in those communities. those communities. In many communities, the basic facilities to environment of Aboriginal communities. house these activities are lacking but the Many communities have become enclaves Ministry of the Solicitor General does not of poverty with significant disruptions in have the mandate to provide funds fo r the the social and cultural fabric of those com­ construction or purchase of these facilities. munities. There is a strong correlation be­ A collective and co-ordinated approach is tween crime and alcohol abuse; and alco­ required. hol is often an outlet for frustrations fe lt by those who see no future for themselves or It must be recognized that Aboriginal by Ed Buller, Special Advisor, Natives, their families. It is not uncommon for communities, like all communites, take on Ministry of the Solicitor General of Cana­ counsellors of Aboriginal people to be many aspects of humanity. We talk about da. faced with an individual before the courts a community being healthy or ill, and of­ who committed an offence while under the ten define community problems as influence. By talking to that client, it is symptoms of an illness. When dealing with By now anyone who has been involved found that the person drank because he a human illness, a doctor would be remiss with the criminal justice system or studied lost his famil iy. He lost his family because in his or her duties to treat only one current issues relating to Aboriginal he could find no work. He could not find symptom and expect a cure. A cure is Peoples is aware of the disproportionate work because he had a criminal record. only affected when all symptoms are dealt numbers of Aboriginal Peoples entering Wh ile the individual elements within this with. Governments, like doctors, must the criminal justice system. In some cycle may change, there is always a cycli­ deal with all symptoms in a community, in provincial jurisdictions, Aboriginal Peoples cal nature to the person's problems a collective manner, to insure the illness is represent the majority of admissions. It is stopped and does not recur. obvious that any attempts to fundamental­ To fundamenta lly and effectively deal ly reduce this disproportionate situation with crime in Aboriginal communities, and But no matter what strategies are used must begin with strategies to reduce crime by governments to affect change in Abo­ and the underlying causes of criminal be­ riginal communities, and no matter what havior. o o o increasing financial and human resources are offered, numbers of Aboriginal they will not work unless the community The question arises whether "traditional" and its leadership assume control over the crime prevention programs are effective in communities are problems and solutions. Without that con­ Aboriginal communities. In many cases, trol and ownership Aboriginal communities the answer is no . Traditional programs recognizing the need will , once again, feel "done to" by gover­ such as Neighbourhood Watch, personal to develop holistic nments and failure will be inevitable. and property target-hardening initiatives, are not effective in reducing crime in Abo­ approaches to Fortunately, over the past few years in­ riginal communities, and thereby reducing creasing numbers of Aboriginal communi­ the number of offenders entering the jus­ problems in their ties are recognizing the need to develop tice system. communities and holistic approaches to problems in their communities and demanding control over Before we can look at possible solutions demanding control the solutions . This trend should be recog­ to criminal crime, we must understand the over the solutions. nized, supported and nurtured by all par­ relationship between crime and the social ties. PREVENTION FEBRUARY 1986, Page 2 PR£V£NTION Table of Contents In This Issue ............................ 4 Crime Prevention in Native Communities .... 4 LIBRARY National Crime Prevention News ........... 9 M l 'f Citizen Crime Watch Patrols .............. 10 j 26 1981 Season's Greetings ..................... 13 Reviews ............................... 16 Short 'N' Sweet ......................... 18 Coming Events ......................... 20 "Ya, I know they made you an honourary Chief, Berfle, but you gotta take the bonnet off sooner or later!!!" PREVENTION FEBRUARY 1986, Page 3 PR£V£NTION stables and spend a day with a third in Lytton. In this Issue Under specific programs, we examine the details of the Trail Ride program in · Quesnel, the Native Youth Program in There are about 150,000 Canadian Wi lliams Lake, look at the Native Issues aboriginals living in B.C. About 62,000 Status Report in Terrace, and examine are status Indians (two-thirds of whom live projects of the South Island Tribal Council on reserves) and the others are non-status on Vancouver Island and the Kwanlin Dun Indians, Metis and a small number of Inuit. Council in the Yukon. But while native Indians account for only five per cent of the provincial population , The issue also features the first article in they are vastly overrepresented in prison. About 100 people attended the National a series on the various citizen crime watch Native Liaison Workshop In Van­ According to Solicitor General of Canada couver In mid-February. programs which are operating in some statistics for 1982-83, natives accounted areas of the Lower Mainland. We attend a for about 16 per cent of inmates in custo­ system. But in this issue of Prevention training session for the volunteers who dy in B.C. More recent figures provided we look at a number of programs which staff the grass-roots program. They learn by the Native Counselling and Referral are operating to reduce the numbers of everything from Observation and Note Drop-In Centre suggest the figure is about natives in conflict with the law. Some of Taking to Evidence Handling to Court 17 per cent. the programs are clearly within the Room Performance to Radio Communica­ parameters of crime prevention and others tions. In future issues we will spend an A further breakdown of the statistics are more diversionary in nature. Others evening on patrol with one of the groups reveals that 17.5 per cent of the people in are mixtures. But all are helping to prevent and attend a meeting of the coordinators. B.C. prisons for fine default were native crime among our native populations . and 15.8 per cent of those incarcerated for In Season's Greetings, we learn about sentence admissions were native . Theft/ In Vancouver, we learn of the programs the popular "Sock Hop With the Cops" possession and drinking and/ or driving of the Native Counselling and Referral crime prevention program on Cable 10 tel­ offences accounted for about half of native Drop-In Centre. These include the Native evision in the Chicago area. Crime offences which resulted in a prison sen­ Streetworkers, Native Employment and prevention officers host the program, run tence, followed by break and enter, bail or Educational Development and Native Hos­ the cameras and all the other equipment probation violation and assault. pital Liaison. We also examine the details and produce the show. Students dance, of the Native/ Police Liaison Program op­ are interviewed and win prizes after In numerous conversations with a variety erating out of the Vancouver Police De­ answering crime prevention questions. A of native and non-native persons familiar partment building. school dance program organized by crime with the dynamics of native crime, it be­ prevention officers in Saanich is also ex­ came apparent that alcohol and alcohol Under the Province-Wide Programs sec­ plained.