The Voice of the People: Can Gladue Offer a Meaningful Source of Healing to its Clients?

Aboriginal people who have been through the criminal justice system are a vulnerable population who often carry significant burdens of historic and personal trauma, including intergenerational effects, addiction, and exposure to violence. For many Aboriginal offenders, the Gladue report constitutes the first opportunity to tell their story. As such, many defendants view the Gladue process to be part of their healing process. There is question to whether the process can, in fact, assist in meaningful healing. Especially given the documented racism implicit in the court process and the lack of understanding many court actors have about Gladue. The purpose of this research project is to explore whether or not Gladue reports are able to offer a meaningful source of healing for its clients by interviewing a Gladue Report recipient and Gladue interviewer/writer.