Summary

16.1     Reducing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration requires a coordinated governmental response, and effective collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This chapter makes two recommendations that aim to improve both of these. It recommends that there should be national targets to reduce both the rate of incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and the rate of violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Both goals are interrelated, and will facilitate improvements not only in the rate at which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people come in contact with the criminal justice system, but also in community safety.

16.2     The ALRC also recommends that Aboriginal Justice Agreements (AJAs) should be in place in states and territories. The success of many of the recommendations made in this Report relies on the development of collaborative relationships between government and peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations. AJAs can provide a foundation on which to facilitate, build, and solidify these relationships.