Native Crime Statistics & Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Native Crime Statistics and Facts: Native people in Canada make up 4% of the population and 23% of the federal prison population In 2010-11, Canada’s overall incarceration rate was 140 per 100,000 adults; the incarceration rate for Native adults is estimated to be 10 times higher Since 2005-06, there has been a 43.5% increase in the federal Native inmate population, compared to a 9.6% increase in non-Native inmates Native women represent 33% of all federally sentenced women in Canada

Native Crime Statistics and Facts: In Saskatchewan, 70% of the inmates were Native compared to 8% in the provincial population Native people accused of crimes are more likely to be denied bail Crime rates on reserves are three times higher than in the rest of Canada A Native person is 10 times more likely to be accused of a homicide Lawyers spend less time with Native clients than non-Native clients, particularly in isolated communities

Factors Contributing to High Native Crime Rates Effects of the residential school system Experience in the child welfare or adoption system Effects of the dislocation of Native peoples Family or community history of suicide, substance abuse and/or victimization Loss of, or struggle with, cultural/spiritual identity Level or lack of formal education Poverty and poor living conditions Exposure to/membership in, Native street gangs

Violence Against Native Women 24% of Native women in Canada reported having been assaulted by a current or former spouse, compared to 7% of non-Native women In 2002, the rate of sexual assault in Nunavut was 96 for every 10,000 people compared to the overall rate in Canada of 7.8 in every 10,000 people Native women have also been found to be greatly over-represented as sex trade workers compared to non-Native women

In the 2015 election, the Liberal Party promised to “immediately launch a national public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada” Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said the issue is “way bigger” than the nearly 1,200 cases of missing and murdered women and girls in Canada counted by the RCMP

The numbers are high enough that it becomes easy to think of these women as merely statistics. Your job is to put a face to some of the names and share the details of their individual cases. Use the database of missing and murdered Native women compiled by the CBC: http://www.cbc.ca/missingandmurdered/ Select three women and create a Google slideshow that includes: The name of the woman A picture of the woman 5-6 point form details of her life and death/disappearance Use one slide for each woman (three in total). Share with Mr. Soulis when you are done.

Shannon Alexander Shannon is 17 and went missing from Maniwaki, Quebec on Sept. 6th, 2008 Shannon disappeared along with a friend and the police considered them runaways The police have since changed their status to missing The Kitigan Zibi First Nation held a press conference, put up posters, and searched the area Shannon is described by family as “very helpful, outgoing, a loving person, and she cared about everyone.”