Marty Brown
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (Dec 02/98) - To help people become aware of the trials and tribulations of the legal system, members from each Keewatin community are working together with a lawyer from the Keewatin Legal Services Centre Society.

The society works together to keep people out of court. It also acts as a liaison between the court system and the community and oversees the delivery of services. The board gets input from the community. It can also advise counselling with a lawyer before trial. Lawyer Bonnie Tulloch provides most legal services for all communities in the Keewatin.

Leonie Duffy, chairman of the board, said the community justice committee deals with minor charges. Sometimes children are charged with shoplifting. Why don't the RCMP call the parents or grandparents instead of charging them Duffy wants to know.

"Kids don't understand the repercussions and they don't seem to understand there are certain things they can't do," Duffy said. "They plead guilty just to get it over with."

Duffy is concerned.

"People get charged but they don't know what they're getting into. They don't seem to take the court system seriously," she said. "A lot of people don't understand the system," Duffy said. "People aren't guinea pigs. Everyone has a right to be justly represented."

The board encourages people to prepare themselves, but a lot of people don't see it as important.

They don't always understand the legal terms, Tulloch said. Add that to language and cultural differences and you have a potential problem she said, although pre-trial counselling seems to help.

Board members agreed more work must be done in the community and in schools.