Finding a path towards justice
The Government is currently considering justice targets as part of a refresh of closing the gap.
Given the renewed focus on addressing the over-incarceration Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it is timely to consider the nature of the problems in detail and the solutions the ALRC identified.
News/Media Release
Read moreAppendix 1. Consultations
NameLocationAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (Qld) LtdTeleconference—MarchAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategic Directions Steering Committee, NSW Police ForceDubbo—FebruaryAboriginal Coordination Team, NSW Police ForceSydney—AprilAboriginal Employment Programs Unit, NSW Police ForceTeleconference—MarchAboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service VictoriaMelbourne—AprilAboriginal Interpreter ServiceDarwin—MarchAboriginal Legal Rights MovementAdelaide—AugustAboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT)Sydney—MarchAboriginal Legal Service of WAPerth—MarchACT Government, Department of JusticeCanberra—AugustACT Law …
Publications
Read moreImproving police culture
Recommendation 14–4 In order to further enhance cultural change within police that will ensure police practices and procedures do not disproportionately contribute to the incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the following initiatives should be considered:increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment within police;providing specific cultural awareness training for police being deployed to …
Publications
Read moreAppendix 1. Consultations
NameLocationAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service (Qld) LtdTeleconference—MarchAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategic Directions Steering Committee, NSW Police ForceDubbo—FebruaryAboriginal Coordination Team, NSW Police ForceSydney—AprilAboriginal Employment Programs Unit, NSW Police ForceTeleconference—MarchAboriginal Family Violence Prevention and Legal Service VictoriaMelbourne—AprilAboriginal Interpreter ServiceDarwin—MarchAboriginal Legal Rights MovementAdelaide—AugustAboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT)Sydney—MarchAboriginal Legal Service of WAPerth—MarchACT Government, Department of Justice Canberra—AugustACT …
Publications
Read moreA focus on harm reduction
13.27 To respond to harms associated with alcohol abuse and misuse, the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs developed the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Drug Strategy 2014–2019 (the Drug Strategy).[31] The Drug Strategy provides a roadmap for work that might be done to minimise the negative effects of alcohol and other drugs (AOD), suggesting …
Publications
Read moreDrivers of incarceration for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women
11.18 The rate at which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are imprisoned has been identified as a reflection of the multiple and layered nature of the disadvantage they face.[17] The links between entrenched disadvantage, including social, cultural and economic forms, and increased rates of criminal justice contact, are well-established.[18] A cycle of ongoing disruption—caused …
Publications
Read moreCriminal Justice services, programs and responses
Recommendation 11–1 Programs and services delivered to female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders within the criminal justice system—leading up to, during and post-incarceration—should take into account their particular needs so as to improve their chances of rehabilitation, reduce their likelihood of reoffending and decrease their involvement with the criminal justice system. Such programs and …
Publications
Read moreAppropriateness of alternative sentencing options
Suspended sentencesRecommendation 7–4 In the absence of the availability of appropriate community-based sentencing options, suspended sentences should not be abolished.7.136 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders may be disproportionately represented as recipients of suspended sentences compared to non-Indigenous offenders.[198]7.137 Victoria began phasing out suspended sentences in 2011.[199] The NSW Parliament passed a Bill on 18 …
Publications
Read moreWhat is justice reinvestment?
4.7 A justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice reform involves a redirection of money from prisons to fund and rebuild human resources and physical infrastructure in areas most affected by high levels of incarceration.[3] Justice reinvestment originated in the United States (US) as a response to an exponential growth in the rate of imprisonment since …
Publications
Read moreJustice reinvestment in action
The United States4.32 Justice reinvestment has been most extensively implemented in the US under the banner of the ‘Justice Reinvestment Initiative’ (JRI). The JRI focuses on state-level reforms to reduce corrections spending and to reinvest in strategies to increase public safety and strengthen communities.4.33 The JRI has been led by a number of think-tanks, non-profit …
Publications
Read more