Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the Evaluation

The evaluation of the Indigenous Justice Program (IJP or the Program) was conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board’s Policy on Results (2016) and the Financial Administration Act. The Evaluation Branch of the Department of Justice Canada conducted the evaluation as per the 2020-21 to 2024-25 Integrated Audit and Evaluation Plan.

1.2 Evaluation Scope

The Program has been evaluated five times, most recently in 2016. This evaluation covered five fiscal years, namely the period from 2016-17 to 2020-21. It examined questions related to the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and economy of the Program. In terms of relevance, the evaluation assessed the need for the Program, its responsiveness to emerging issues, as well as the alignment of the Program with federal and departmental priorities. The evaluation also examined the effectiveness of the Program in achieving its expected outcomes. In an effort to build upon the previous evaluation, this evaluation explored several areas of the community programming in more detail including: prevention activities; civil/family mediation; family violence programming; and the experiences of victims participating in restorative justice processes.

Reduced recidivism rates is one of the key measures of IJP success. Previous recidivism studies have examined the prevalence and likelihood of re-offending after program participation. Though it could not be completed in the timeframe of this evaluation, the current recidivism study will expand upon the analysis of recidivism rates by including data from additional provinces and territories. Lastly, the assessment of efficiency was expected to include a comparative costing analysis to estimate the impact of the IJP on reducing costs of the criminal justice system (CJS). The recidivism study and costing analysis will be completed at a later date.