The search for reconciliation through accountability – Policy Options
In December 2018, an Inuk woman, the victim of domestic violence, called the RCMP to protect her safety. Instead of being helped, A(M) was arrested, detained, charged and found guilty of drinking in violation of her bail conditions. A similar situation, the case of K(M), had unfolded a year earlier, the justice of the peace in Iqaluit who handled the A(M) case noted.
Both situations are typical examples of the systemic problems of under- and overpolicing of Indigenous communities that are in part responsible for the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice process.
Underpolicing and overpolicing as forms of state discrimination
The documented phenomenon of underpolicing consists of the lack of resources and support invested in programs and measures to protect Indigenous people, particularly women, from danger and violence.
