Canada's criminal justice system has had a troubled relationship with Aboriginal people. This discord can be seen in disproportionally high rates of Aboriginal incarceration and in the limited recognition given by the conventional system to the needs and values of Aboriginal communities. To compound matters, many remote Aboriginal communities are served by fly-in circuit courts, which visit the communities once a month, pronounce judgement on the cases presented to them, and then leave. Ross Green looks at the evolution of the Canadian criminal justice system and the values upon which it is based. He then contrasts those values with Aboriginal concepts of justice. Against this backdrop, he introduces sentencing and mediation alternatives currently being developed in Aboriginal communities, including sentencing circles, elder and community sentencing panels, sentence advisory committees, and community mediation projects.