"Corrections Workers Urged to Understand Culture of Natives"

People working in prisons, and with parolees, need to understand native culture in order to properly serve native people, organizers of a conference for correctional workers said Tuesday.

The three-day conference at the Woodland Cultural Centre, which ends Thursday, has been organized by the Ontario Ministry of Correctional Services and the Ontario Native Council on Justice, in consultation with local native groups.

About 35 men and women who work in the correctional system as parole officers, jail guards and in other positions, are attending the crash course on the history, culture and condition of native people in the province.

Pam Skinner, a staff development officer for the ministry, says the workers need to recognize that native people are different, and need to be treated differently.

"Our hope is that, when a counsellor or a probation officer is faced with a native client, and they're puzzled or don't understand the usual cues like body language... they'll recognize that they're coming from a different culture."

Evelyn Bomberry, a corrections worker in the Six Nations community, said that sort of training can be extremely important.

"Silence is probably one of the most difficult things for non-natives to understand. When a native person is silent it doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't know," she said, explaining that many native people mull over their response before answering a question.

Many of the speakers expressed concerns about the number of native people who are involved with the criminal justice system.

Angus Bently, a planning and project officer for the ministry, said native people make up eight per cent of Ontario's prison population, but only two per cent of the province's total population.

In some jails in the north that percentage rises to almost 100 per cent. Almost half of the native offenders are in jail for alcohol-related offences, Mr. Bentley said.

"Native people, without question are over-represented in the criminal justice system," said Carol Montagnes, executive director of the native council on justice.

She said the reasons can be found in the social and political conditions of native people in Canada.

"On every social indicator that one looks to to see the social well-being of a society, such as infant mortality, life expectancy, suicide... always at the bottom are native people."

Some speakers suggested that residential schools created generations of children who were emotionally and spiritually troubled, and who would, therefore, be more likely to end up with an alcohol problem or in trouble with the law.

Ms. Montagnes said the conference allows the workers to meet leaders in the native community, rather than those involved with the criminal justice system "who tend to be down and out."

Nancy Hill, director of the Pine Tree Native Centre of Brant, said the conference probably will help the workers gain some understanding of native people, "but it's going to take a lot longer than three days" to properly address the issues.