Why Indigenous Canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the police
Recent widespread protests and intensive media coverage of actual and alleged acts of police misconduct against members of vulnerable populations (e.g., Indigenous and racialized persons, mentally ill and/or addicted persons) overrepresented in the criminal justice system have renewed interest inte...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SG Publishing
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.journalcswb.ca/index.php/cswb/article/view/201 |
| _version_ | 1797425915903344640 |
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| author | John Kiedrowski Michael Petrunik Mark Irving |
| author_facet | John Kiedrowski Michael Petrunik Mark Irving |
| author_sort | John Kiedrowski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Recent widespread protests and intensive media coverage of actual and alleged acts of police misconduct against members of vulnerable populations (e.g., Indigenous and racialized persons, mentally ill and/or addicted persons) overrepresented in the criminal justice system have renewed interest internationally in the factors influencing civilian complaints against police. In Canada, a major concern exists regarding how Indigenous persons who feel improperly treated by the police perceive and confront barriers to making formal complaints about such treatment. This study focuses on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the police agency providing services to the majority of rural and northern reserve communities. Our survey and interviews with influential “community informants” (in this instance community court workers) with intimate knowledge of such local communities, shared culture and language, and vicarious appreciation of the experiences of community members support the view that Indigenous persons do encounter significant barriers to launching formal complaints and are consistent with other research literature. We discuss our findings, raise policy considerations for decision makers such as police leaders and police complaints bodies, and outline implications for future research.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:22:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9fe3d26c4d72490b9dedbaa0a98205dc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2371-4298 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:22:52Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | SG Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being |
| spelling | doaj.art-9fe3d26c4d72490b9dedbaa0a98205dc2023-12-02T21:39:56ZengSG PublishingJournal of Community Safety and Well-Being2371-42982021-09-016310.35502/jcswb.201Why Indigenous Canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the policeJohn Kiedrowski0Michael Petrunik1Mark Irving2President, Compliance Strategy Group, Ottawa, ON, CanadaRetired Professor, Criminology Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaCentre for Crime, Justice and Policing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK Recent widespread protests and intensive media coverage of actual and alleged acts of police misconduct against members of vulnerable populations (e.g., Indigenous and racialized persons, mentally ill and/or addicted persons) overrepresented in the criminal justice system have renewed interest internationally in the factors influencing civilian complaints against police. In Canada, a major concern exists regarding how Indigenous persons who feel improperly treated by the police perceive and confront barriers to making formal complaints about such treatment. This study focuses on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the police agency providing services to the majority of rural and northern reserve communities. Our survey and interviews with influential “community informants” (in this instance community court workers) with intimate knowledge of such local communities, shared culture and language, and vicarious appreciation of the experiences of community members support the view that Indigenous persons do encounter significant barriers to launching formal complaints and are consistent with other research literature. We discuss our findings, raise policy considerations for decision makers such as police leaders and police complaints bodies, and outline implications for future research. https://www.journalcswb.ca/index.php/cswb/article/view/201Public complaintsIndigenous policingRoyal Canadian Mounted PolicePolice misconduct |
| spellingShingle | John Kiedrowski Michael Petrunik Mark Irving Why Indigenous Canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the police Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being Public complaints Indigenous policing Royal Canadian Mounted Police Police misconduct |
| title | Why Indigenous Canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the police |
| title_full | Why Indigenous Canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the police |
| title_fullStr | Why Indigenous Canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the police |
| title_full_unstemmed | Why Indigenous Canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the police |
| title_short | Why Indigenous Canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the police |
| title_sort | why indigenous canadians on reserves are reluctant to complain about the police |
| topic | Public complaints Indigenous policing Royal Canadian Mounted Police Police misconduct |
| url | https://www.journalcswb.ca/index.php/cswb/article/view/201 |
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