Pillars of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy

The Strategy centres on five key pillars, or themes, relevant to Black experiences with the criminal justice system. The pillars are consistent themes that inform Black people’s experiences with the criminal justice system. These pillars form the foundation of the Strategy's focus for reform and improvement.

  1. Social determinants of justice: This pillar addresses the fundamental factors such as income, employment, stable housing, education, and health that shape an individual's life and may contribute to initial and/or subsequent contact with the justice system.
  2. Policing: Focusing on the dynamics of over-policing and over-surveillance in Black communities, this pillar examines policing practices that lead to increased detention, arrest, and other negative outcomes for Black people, including in the use of force.
  3. Courts and legislation: This pillar is concerned with the experiences of Black people within the Canadian justice system, whether as accused persons, witnesses, victims of crime, justice professionals, or as individuals affected by the laws of the land. It examines how their experiences are shaped by anti-Black racism and inequity. The pillar includes all stages of a criminal prosecution, from being charged with an offence through bail decision making, to trials and sentencing, and the impact of a sentence upon an individual’s immigration status.
  4. Corrections: Addressing the experiences of sentenced individuals in custody, this pillar focuses on the selection and training of correctional officers, the policies governing life in correctional facilities, and complaint resolution mechanisms. The aim is to ensure humane, equitable, and reformative treatment of incarcerated individuals. This pillar will also consider the broader impact of a person’s incarceration upon their families and communities.
  5. Parole, re-entry, and integration: Recognizing that most incarcerated individuals will eventually return to re-enter society, this pillar addresses the parole processes, available community resources post-release, and initiatives to reduce recidivism.