A tale of two clients: criminal justice system failings in addressing the needs of South Asian communities of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

South Asians are the largest immigrant group in Canada, yet criminal justice system interventions have failed to adequately address the needs of this population. The experiences of South Asian families in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, who become involved with the criminal justice system as a result of an incident of intimate partner violence, are described by front-line practitioners who deal with them in the days, weeks and months following the incident. These front-line workers argued that long court waits and long waits for counselling, coupled with South Asian cultural values around marriage and the tendency to reconcile after criminal justice system involvement, are creating additional stressors upon the victim. They envision changes that would make criminal justice system interventions more responsive to the needs of South Asian families.

Keywords:

• South Asian
• Indo-Canadian
• intimate partner violence
• criminal justice system
• culture