Contacts with the Police and the Over-Representation of Indigenous Peoples in The Canadian Criminal Justice System

Abstract

There is abundant evidence of the over-representation of Indigenous peoples in Canadian correctional facilities but, there is, however, limited research on the over-representation of Indigenous peoples at other stages of the criminal justice system. This article examines self-reported contacts with the police by Indigenous peoples in Canada as a way to broaden our understanding of their over-representation in the criminal justice system. Settler colonialism is used as a theoretical framework to better assess the various processes by which Indigenous peoples and police may come into contact. Using data from the 2014 General Social Survey, we quantitatively examine the prevalence of various types of police contacts for Indigenous and non-Indigenous respondents. Results suggest that Indigenous peoples are more likely to encounter the police for a variety of reasons including for law enforcement reasons, for non-enforcement reasons, including being a victim or a witness to a crime, and for behavioural health-related issues. Results are discussed within the context of historical and ongoing settler colonial practices and the over-representation of Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system.