Disadvantages Of Aboriginals In Prison

Aboriginal 's are part of a marginalized minority population in Canada. Aboriginals struggle to achieve sustainable income levels and experience a lowered social status and because of this face many health disadvantages that compromise their health. For many, living below the poverty line means that may face additional issues of homelessness. Even now, many First Nations people live in crowded homes or their homes are in disrepair on the reserve. The media has elsewhere mentioned the severe housing crisis on Canadian reserves. When aboriginal people leave the reserve and are without income, they face extreme poverty and continued homelessness. Criminal activity can be the next step for some individuals. Is homelessness the reason that more Aboriginals per capita are in prison? Stefania Seccia has written an interesting article that proposes to examine why so many Aboriginals are jailed. As aboriginals are part of a minority ethnic group in Canada, their …show more content…
Prison affects health through, "isolation from families and social networks... loss of privacy and poor physical hygienic conditions... bullying, fear, suspicion and the attitudes of unsympathetic and uninformed staff [and] loss of identity," (Prisons Can Seriously Damage Your Mental Health). Prisons will affect an individuals mental health and wellness, though prison can be thought of as a beneficial consequences. Some people may cause serious harm to others that they may have not normally have encountered due to the alteration of mental health. By providing ways for youth to financially support themselves easily, it could potentially decrease the amount of youth living on the street and decrease the spread of disease. Decreasing the gap between the Aboriginals social status and non-aboriginals social status will decrease the amount of discrimination to Aboriginals which contributes to incarceration