By Paul Turenne, SUN MEDIA
Aboriginal people accounted for more than two-thirds of adult inmates in Manitoba in 2007-08, according to data released by Statistics Canada this morning.
The report shows that during the period studied — April 1, 2007, to March 31, 2008 — 69% of incarcerated adults in Manitoba were Aboriginal.
That's more than five times the percentage of Aboriginal people in the province's general population, which stands at 12%.
Aboriginal incarceration rates varied immensely across Canada, ranging from 81% in Saskatchewan to 1% in P.E.I.
The Western provinces and the territories all had very high rates compared with Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, even considering the relatively lower Aboriginal populations in those provinces.
The study also compared Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal offenders using factors such as age, employment and education, and concluded that those factors "can only partially explain the representation of Aboriginal adults incarcerated in Canadian prisons ... The analysis suggests that other factors, such as income, housing and rehabilitative needs may be involved."
Nationally, Statistics Canada says aboriginal adults made up 22% of those behind bars — even though they comprise just 3% of the national population.
For both native and non-native adults aged 20 to 34, incarceration rates dropped off as education and income levels improved.
But comparative decreases were greater for non-natives.
In Saskatchewan, aboriginal adults accounted for 81% of those in jail — but just 11% of the general population.
With file from The Canadian Press
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