Presenter:
Alicia Nijdam-Jones, Assistant Professor, Psychology, Simon Fraser University
Description:
Courthouse Libraries BC is proud to support the Criminal Defence Advocacy Society (CDAS) in presenting: Rethinking Risk: Context and Interpretation in Violence Risk Assessment of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.
First Nations, Inuit and Métis (FNIM) peoples remain dramatically overrepresented in Canadian correctional systems, a disparity widely understood as reflecting the ongoing impacts of colonial policies and structural inequities. This talk examines how colonial legacies and structural conditions, including intergenerational trauma and the social determinants of criminalization, shape how violence risk is interpreted in forensic assessments of FNIM peoples.
The presentation will examine how factors typically considered in Gladue reports intersect with the variables used in risk assessment, and where this context may be missing or only superficially integrated in practice. Drawing on emerging research and case-informed examples, the talk will illustrate how incorporating sociocultural context into forensic reports can change how risk is interpreted in legal decision-making. The session will highlight key limitations in current practice and identify aspects of risk evidence, including how contextual and structural factors are incorporated and interpreted, that may warrant closer scrutiny in legal proceedings.
Participants in this presentation may claim up to 1.5 hours of CPD credit with LSBC.
Date and time:
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026 12:30PM to 2:00PM
To register:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z-lhoc8xQkqx_JDNar9jRg
Criminal Scholars Series is a co-production of the Criminal Defense Advocacy Society and Courthouse Libraries BC.