Indigenous Outreach Program

In Canada, Indigenous people make up approximately 5% of the overall adult population. However, according to the Government of Canada, they represent 28% of all federally sentenced individuals and 32% of all individuals in custody. Indigenous women are particularly affected, making up 50% of all federally incarcerated women.

As a non-profit volunteer organization, Innocence Ottawa is deeply aware of the injustices faced by Indigenous communities and how these contribute to their over-representation in the prison system. To address this, we are grateful to have received a grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario to support the development of an outreach program. The Innocence Ottawa Indigenous Outreach Program aims to assist wrongly convicted Indigenous prisoners with conviction review and ensure our services are accessible to them.

So far, our outreach efforts have established meaningful connections with both incarcerated individuals and Indigenous communities. In the fall of 2024, members of Innocence Ottawa attended a pre-release fair at Warkworth Institution CSC, Bath Institution, and Millhaven Institution in Kingston. During this event, members engaged with Indigenous inmates and shared information about our services. We also distributed application forms and informational postcards about our program to those interested.

Throughout the academic year, members are engaged in visiting various institutions across Ontario as well as community organizations in the Ottawa area, providing services to Indigenous people. Establishing these connections will help wrongly convicted persons know that they can reach out to us, and we will try to provide assistance in facilitating an exoneration where possible.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to learn more about what we do. Community organizations interested in collaborating with us are also welcomed to get in touch!