'Will the Circle be Unbroken?'

Description:

"Drawing on their shared experiences working with Aboriginal communities, as well as a comprehensive review of the research in the field, authors Jane Dickson-Gilmore and Carol La Prairie engage with the theory and reality of 'community' in an Aboriginal context, constructing a detailed portrait of contemporary Aboriginal communities, both rural and urban, along with their inherent patterns of daily life, agency, conflict, and disorder. The implications of these factors for the development, implementation, and sustainability of restorative justice projects are explored, with special attention to such prominent programs as conferencing, sentencing circles, and healing circles. Noting the lack of sound evaluation of such initiatives, the authors look to Aboriginal justice reforms in other countries, comparing and contrasting restorative efforts in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States with those in Canada. The authors conclude that without greater attention to the dynamics of communities and the realities of conflict patterns and social justice, restorative justice runs the risk of becoming another instalment in a long legacy of broken promises made to Aboriginal people in Canada."--Jacket.

subjects: Indigenous peoples,  Legal status, laws,  Sentences (Criminal procedure),  Administration of Criminal justice,  Restorative justice,  Community-based corrections,  Sentencing circles (Native peoples),  Native peoples,  Social life and customs,  Justice réparatrice,  Services correctionnels communautaires,  Autochtones,  Système pénal,  Moeurs et coutumes,  North america, economic conditions,  United states, social conditions,  Religion,  Justice reparatrice,  Systeme penal

Places: Canada