Aboriginals are being incarcerated at increasingly higher numbers in proportion to the general population in the Canadian prison system. The factors that promote crime among aboriginal people are shaped by family backgrounds of poverty, school experiences, and exposure to violence, isolation from opportunities and low self-esteem related to experiences of racism. In the past aboriginal offenders were treated as a homogenous group, now things are moving toward culture and spirituality. Research suggests, that more focus …showed first 75 words of 404 total…

…showed last 75 words of 404 total…may have been banished from the community, but imprisonment would have had to be the offender’s only path for healing and restoration. Also, when the offender is removed it may not be possible to restore the victim and the victim’s family. If the offender is paying a ‘debt to society’ through a prison term, Aboriginal beliefs feel there should be a debt paid to the victim and other people in the community (Webber, 1993).