Methods

The section outlines the methodology, approach, and process followed for the engagement sessions. First, the Truly Alive Youth and Family Foundation Inc. (TAYFFI) established a Project Working Group (PWG), comprising professionals and volunteers, to lead the development, implementation, and documentation of the engagement plan. The plan included the formulation of key questions using the framework provided by the Department of Justice Canada; selection of locations for the focus groups, identification of individual, professional, community, and justice system stakeholders; and the development of a work schedule to manage implementation.

The PWG was committed to an approach that encouraged wide-ranging opportunities for participation by relevant stakeholders. Therefore, the team organized and facilitated in-person and virtual focus groups, held from September 6, 2023, to October 20, 2023, and invited relevant stakeholders to participate in an online survey which closed on October 20, 2023. This approach ensured that concerned residents, community organizations, and criminal justice system actors were able to share their perception of and interaction of Black people with the criminal justice system community using any of the mediums.

The focus groups and online survey engagements were approached with an Afrocentric slant that celebrates cultural heritage; fosters unity and collaboration; ensures diversity and inclusivity; recognizes historical background; approaches trauma with sensitivity; shows respect for intersectional identities; considers relations with Indigenous communities; builds trust; strives for sustainable progress; upholds ethical standards; and embraces feedback tailored to the context.

The online survey was open for seven weeks and was designed with the intent to better understand the participants’ experiences, perceptions, and feelings about Canada’s criminal justice system, including police, courts, crown prosecution, and corrections, as well as possible actions to improve access to justice for Black People and communities. A total of 125 responses were captured via survey engagement, which included Black individuals living in Saskatchewan and representatives of organizations, associations, service-providing agencies that have intersectionality within the Black communities (see Appendix 2 for the distribution of participants involved in the online survey).

For the focus groups, 4-hour sessions were held in-person in three locations (Saskatoon, Regina, and Yorkton) and one virtual session in Prince Alberta; participants ranged from 20 to 60 individuals in each of the groups given the size of the community. As of October 20, 2023, when the PWG completed engagement, 140 individuals participated in the face-to-face and virtual focus group consultation engagements across the province, including cities of Saskatoon, Regina, Yorkton, and Prince Albert. In addition, the engagement included an in-person focus group session involving eight Black offenders within the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary, Prince Albert. This brings the cumulative total of participants to 265.

Each session included a facilitated discussion which saw four questions posed to participants to direct discussion and conversation. The questions, in line with what was asked in the public survey, were as follows:

  1. Describe your experience, involvement, or interaction with the different phases of the criminal justice system in Saskatchewan/Canada, including policing, courts, corrections, or other justice services?
  2. What do you consider as the major issues and concerns at the individual and community levels when it comes to the interaction of Black people with the criminal justice system – police, Legal Aid, Crown prosecution, courts?
  3. At the community and system levels, what are the factors driving these interactions, focusing on triggers and root causes?
  4. What would you recommend as actionable changes that need to occur to address current issues affecting Black people and communities in their interactions with the criminal justice system?

The engagement sessions encouraged further elaboration of key questions as presented above, allowed participants to share their opinions and perspectives freely, and to ask questions and exchange ideas. They also gave facilitators the opportunity to learn from participants. Both the online survey and the focus groups with individuals, affiliated community organizations, and Black offenders were analyzed and categorized into key themes to provide a broader understanding of participants’ concerns which included social, cultural, economic, and system level issues and how they impact the perception and experience of Black persons of the Saskatchewan criminal justice system. The in-person focus group session with eight Black offenders within the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary especially encouraged more personal experiences to be shared in a safe but insightful manner.

All the sessions were facilitated by members of the Project Working Group (see Appendix 1 for the list of facilitators). In all, many affiliated professional and community organizations participated in the engagement sessions– both focus group and online survey. These included the Black Professionals and Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan, Black Lives Matter (BLM) Canada, Legal Aid Saskatchewan, Parole Board of Canada, Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum Inc., Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, Saskatoon Niger Delta Forum, Saskatoon Open Door Society, and Saskatoon Police Service.

Overall, the use of multiple platforms and opportunities to gather input offered richer alternative interpretations and built a stronger understanding of concerns and actions required at the individual, community, and system levels to advance an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable Canada’s Black Justice Strategy.