Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Dec 13/99) - When Inuit have to deal with the current justice system, it's like asking them to perform a dance they have never seen or done before, says the assistant deputy minister of Justice.

"A lot of times when Inuit go to jail or through the courts it's difficult to understand what the courts are trying to do," said Rebecca Williams.

"People are divided when someone has to go to jail or court and that's the part we need to work on and restore."

Williams was speaking at the recent release of Towards Justice that Brings Peace, a report which outlines 23 recommendations for the Department of Justice to try and effectively implement.

"Nunavut Justice has been working hard to design and implement a new kind of justice system and it is essential that we work closely with every community in Nunavut," she said.

The report is a result of a Nunavut Social Justice Retreat and Conference that was held in Rankin Inlet last fall.

The president of the Nunavut Social Development Council, Mary Wilman, says the council consistently receives feedback indicating that the system isn't working.

"The justice system is not working for Inuit in ways that help to restore healthy individuals or healthy communities," said Wilman.

"We have to begin training people with good, strong values to work in the communities."

Recommendations on alternatives to jail, community justice initiatives, the justice of the peace program and community healing and counselling were all put forward in the document.

All of the 23 recommendations are tied together by common threads such as compassion for the victims of crimes, collective healing rather than isolation and polarization, public education, community development and greater participation by elders.

"These recommendations give us the opportunity to change mistakes and build cultural bridges," said Williams.

"We want to take corrections in a new direction, emphasizing that it is community-based."

The final recommendation in the report is to use the Inuktitut word Inuttiavannguqsainiq, which describes the process which Nunavut's justice system will follow: making people better rather than emphasizing the formal court processes.