Clients take the stand because they do not want to return for a second court date, feel they have been treated unfairly before or they don’t have faith the system will acquit them, says Grace Auger
This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy.There are times when Legal Aid Alberta staff lawyer Grace Auger has to convince her Indigenous clients not to plead guilty for crimes they have not committed.
For 13 of the 22 years the LLA office has been open in the Siksika National Tribal Administration building in Gleichen, Auger has made the 95 km trip from Calgary four days a week. The other weekday she spends at court in Turner Valley or Tsuut’ina Nation. “People tend to be more open and trusting because they know you’re First Nation or Indigenous, so they let their guard down,” she said.Auger is a strong believer in restorative justice, which allows for “creative sentencing”, and focuses on addressing the harm caused by the crime and making the defendant responsible.
LAA has been instrumental in making changes in the court process for Indigenous peoples, but Auger says changes need to be made throughout the legal system, from the police force straight through to incarceration.
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