Canadian Race Relations Foundation

This final report presents the premise, content, and findings of the Summit on Justice, whose mandate it was to design a plan to improve Alberta's justice system. The delegates were divided into nine small discussion groups, each of which discussed (all of) eight main topics: Barriers to Accessing Justice; Victims - Their Rights and Their Involvement in the System; Youth and the Justice System; Policing; First Nations, Métis and Inuit Justice; Crime Prevention; Alternatives to Existing Justice System Processes; and Public Confidence in the Justice System. A number of presentations were made on these topics, and all groups submitted recommendations for each topic. Among these recommendations, some principal suggestions may be cited: That the justice system be made more sensitive to family, gender and cultural issues by providing increased education and training to judges, lawyers and others who play key roles in the administration of justice; That Aboriginal police services receive the same training and resources as other police services in Alberta; and That the recruitment and training of police officers, judges and other court system workers reflect the cultural and social diversity of the communities they serve.