Bishop’s University
A photo of Vicki Chartrand outside of McGreer Hall.

Vicki Chartrand Receives $1.4M in Federal Funding for Indigenous Community Reintegration Research

Dr. Vicki Chartrand, Professor of Sociology at Bishop’s University and Founding Director of the Centre for Community-Engaged Justices, has received $1.4 million in funding from Public Safety Canada’s Indigenous Community Corrections Initiative (ICCI) to lead a four-year national research project examining Indigenous community reintegration and healing after incarceration.

The How We Go Home: A Study of Section 84 Indigenous Community Reintegration Models to Promote Healing and Successful Community Re-entry project examines Indigenous community-led reintegration models developed under Section 84 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, which supports Indigenous communities and organizations to participate in planning and supporting the release of Indigenous people from federal custody. 

Working in partnership with Ohén Saionwátka’we in Kahnawà, Waseskun Healing Centre, the Centre for Community-Engaged Justices, and Indigenous communities and organizations across Canada, the research will document successful reintegration approaches, identify best practices, and explore how communities support healing, cultural revitalization, and successful community re-entry. Dr. Chartrand is joined by co-investigators Dr. Nancy Van Styvendale (University of Alberta) and Dr. Michael Mihalicz (Toronto Metropolitan University), whose expertise in Indigenous research methodologies, community-engaged scholarship, and justice studies will contribute to the project’s national scope and impact.

The research seeks to address the ongoing overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in Canadian prisons by highlighting effective community-based approaches that promote healing, cultural continuity, self-determination, and long-term community well-being. Findings will be shared through reports, toolkits, and other publicly accessible resources designed to support Indigenous communities interested in developing or strengthening community reintegration initiatives.

“Communities have long been developing innovative and culturally grounded approaches to supporting people returning home from prison,” says Dr. Chartrand. “This project is about learning from those experiences, sharing that knowledge, and supporting Indigenous communities in advancing their own visions of healing, reintegration, and community well-being.”

Joannie St-Germain B.Sc. ’16, M.Sc. (she/her/elle)
RESEARCH OFFICER
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES
819-822-9600 x 2242

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