It's a terribly serious problem. I have been on a journey to try to learn more about it. There are many who know way more about indigenous issues than I do, but I've been speaking to many Black prisoners about the experiences they've had.
One in particular, when he was 19 or 20, received a life 10 sentence for gang-related violence in an urban centre. He's been in there 30 years and hasn't seen a parole eligibility date. He's trying to figure out why. First of all, he firmly believes that he would.... He has a family to return to; he has a lot of support in the community. He's made up his mind. He's given up “the life”, which is what they call it. This is a very key thing for dealing with this type of Black offenders, who will no longer be participating in the street crime that led them to problems in the first place.
He said, “The correctional programs were designed to assess my ability to reintegrate into a white middle-class neighbourhood. That's not where I'm from, and that's not where I'm going.” They just completely miss the cues and the supports, and what he really has that would make him successful in the community.