The graph shows the percentage of the federally incarcerated population that identifies as non-Indig- enous has been decreasing (from 79.5% in 2009 to 69.9% in 2019) while the percentage of the population identifying as Indigenous has been increasing (from 20.5% in 2009 to 30.1% in 2019). [...] Among Indigenous inmates, 31% were kept in segregation, 45% attempted some form of self-harm, and 90% were kept in prison until the end of their sentence” (Exploring Indigenous Youth Incarceration in Canada) Indigenous youth between ages of 12 to 17 years old represent approximately 7% of the Canadian youth population; yet they comprise 39% of young offenders in custody nationally and 47% of Indig. [...] (Greenberg, Grekul, and Nelson 2016) A study done in 2004 noted that “while there have been substantial reductions in the number of Indigenous youth in custody since 2000, Indigenous youth continue to experience an appreciably higher incarceration rate compared to non-Indigenous youth.” The incarceration rate of Indigenous youth was 64.5 per 10,000 population while the 3 . [...] Reporting in 2011 noted that Indigenous peoples in Canada experience the highest levels of poverty: A shocking 1 in 4 Indigenous peoples or 25% are now living in poverty and 4 in 10 or 40% of Canada’s Indigenous children live in poverty. [...] (Teagan King, Richelle Schindler, Swati Chavda & John Conly, 2022) COVID-19 and Poverty in Indigenous Communities During pandemics, Indigenous Peoples suffer higher infection rates, and more severe symptoms and death than the general population because of the powerful forces of the social and cultural determinants of health and lack of political power.
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- Canada
