Conclusion

Our consultations generally showed that community members hold a negative sentiment about the criminal and justice systems. Respondents generally felt that anti-Black racism shapes their relations and interactions with the police, courts and corrections. A major offshoot of this relationship is how Black people in several instances are presumed guilty by police officers even before a word is said. Beyond the anti-Black racism, the peril of being in a Black body is further worsened individually and intersectionally by various socio-economic factors.

Our participants accepted the recommendations of the Black Justice Strategy and also presented their ideas that have been captured in this report. In sum, our participants recommend that the education curriculum is revised to reflect Black histories and innovations as well as to include anti-racism sensitivities; removing barriers to the economic progress of Black people; recruitment of more Black people into the police, corrections, law and courts; investing in mental health resources to be provided by Black specialists; ensuring adequate accountability for racist acts; and governments working with Black community organizations to leverage their community embeddedness and understanding.

As captured by a participant, our community sees the challenges with the justice system as structural and there is no genuine resolution without admitting this:

“The Justice system needs to recognize the historical and current injustices faced by Black people and the impacts it has on our communities. The starting point is acceptance of the truth of the foundations of all of these institutions. Only then can we truly engage in meaningful reform and transformation.”