Deadline: 05-Aug-21
The Department of Justice Canada is launching a call for proposals that seeks to address systemic barriers facing Indigenous people in the criminal justice system.
Themes
This call for proposals includes two themes:
- Theme 1: Education and training initiatives for criminal justice system professionals
- Theme 2: Systemic change focussed initiatives (changes to policies, practices, processes and institutions)
Funding will be available through the Indigenous Justice Program, which provides grants and contribution funding to programs and projects in support of the following objectives:
- to assist Indigenous people in assuming greater responsibility for the administration of justice in their communities;
- to reflect and include Indigenous values within the justice system; and,
- to contribute to a decrease in the rate of victimization, crime and incarceration among Indigenous people.
Funding Information
- Of this amount, $10 million will be dedicated to projects informed by Gladue Principles that focus on educating justice professionals and changing structures, policies, practices and institutions in the criminal justice system.
What are Gladue Principles and how do they apply outside of sentencing?
“Gladue Principles” come from a Supreme Court of Canada decision in a case called R. v. Gladue, which considered a sentencing principle outlined in paragraph 718.2(e) of the Criminal Code. While Gladue Principles come from a sentencing decision, they can be used to inform systemic change at all stages of the criminal justice system.
Funding applicants will be expected to draw from Gladue Principles and the reasons behind the Gladue decision in designing their initiatives. For this purpose, Gladue Principles can be described as:
- the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system is a serious and complex issue rooted in systemic discrimination and the history of colonialism;
- the unique systemic or background factors which may have played a part in bringing an Indigenous person in contact with the law should be considered in criminal justice decision-making; and
- pre- and post-charge diversion, alternative measures and other community-based options should be considered for Indigenous people in conflict with the law, including culturally-appropriate restorative and traditional Indigenous justice processes.
For more information, visit https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/fund-fina/home-accueil.html
