Monday, January 20, 2014

Aboriginal justice is real justice

Sitting in Court at Arctic Bay today I listened as Inuit accused admitted their acts and then were admonished by the Elders. Normally in the South when an accused is asked "do you have anything to say" at most they mumble "sorry". Here the accused speak for a long time and say what happened and why. Justices of the Peace, sitting with the judge and elders added comments. The victims are here and speak too. The sentences bring the insights of the community to the people involved and restore the accused to the community. If only it worked this way in the South.

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