Indigenous justice

Queensland’s new Indigenous justice strategy promises a fresh approach to lowering the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders and victims. Its aim is to improve safety in Indigenous communities across the state.

Called Just Futures 2012–15, the strategy addresses frequent causes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander over-representation – poverty, problems in education, alcohol and drug use – and increases support for families and young people, employment, health and housing.

It proposes getting communities involved in finding solutions that suit their unique needs.

“A lot of our brothers and sisters are in gaol and elsewhere in the criminal justice system,” said Ron Weatherall, head of the state government’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services. “The proportion of them in jail is far greater than our proportion in the Queensland population.

“The other side of the coin is that most of the victims of Indigenous crime are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“It’s hurting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people both ways. We can’t say we’re making worthwhile progress towards closing the gap until we lower this over-representation.

“With Just Futures, the government is recognising that we must address the underlying causes of offending so that most of our people don’t even come into contact with the criminal justice system in the first place.

“None of this is going to produce overnight results, so we have to commit ourselves for the long haul.”

The strategy will be led by the three levels of government and Indigenous people, but will also involve non-government organisations and the private sector.

An independent taskforce will oversee the strategy’s implementation and advise the state government about reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the justice system.

It’s a statewide strategy but will also target specific communities where most offending occurs: Cairns, Townsville, Mount Isa, Rockhampton and Brisbane; each of Queensland’s discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; and the Torres Strait islands.

The strategy will operate within the broader context of the national Closing the Gap agenda to reduce the gap in life outcomes and opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Indigenous people account for four per cent of Queensland’s population but make up 22 per cent of offenders, 12 per cent of all victims of assault, and 11 per cent of all victims of sexual assault.

For further information on the strategy, visit: http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/atsis/government/programs-and-initiatives/just-futures-2012-2015

Program of action

The strategy details 48 actions, grouped into four areas — community, family, opportunity and justice. Some of the key actions are:

Community

• Community leaders will develop safety plans for each discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait community. Communities will set their own safety priorities with government services providers.
• Develop local Closing the Gap action plans in targeted urban communities, including safety improvements.
• 25 new health professionals for drug, alcohol and mental health services.

Family

• Increase youngsters’ access to kindergarten with early-years centres.
• A new turnaround team to improve school attendance.
• Case manage 10 to 12-year-old children who come in contact with police.
• Provide training that translates to real jobs.
• Roll out a statewide support service to help young, at-risk people.
• Develop sport and recreation services to engage at-risk young people in healthy lifestyles.

Opportunity

• A program, Participate in Prosperity, to assist Indigenous people experiencing multiple barriers to finding employment.
• Job readiness assistance for people in prison and youth detention, and help for young detainees to get into education.
• Industry training and jobs.
• Provide the Jails to Jobs Program, including delivering traineeships, apprenticeships and employment, to 200 Indigenous people leaving prison each year.

Justice

• Increased support for community justice groups and Murri courts.
• Increased involvement of Indigenous people in law enforcement.
• More support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims.
• Involve Elders and respected people in rehabilitating and transitioning Indigenous people from prisons and youth detention centres.

Fast facts

• The rate at which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults are incarcerated in Queensland has increased over time. In 2000, the age standardised rate was 1160 per 100 000 population and rose to 1443 per 100 000 population by 2010 (ABS 2010). In contrast, the non-Indigenous imprisonment rate has decreased from 135 per 100 000 in 2000 to 121 per 100 000 in 2010.
• Indigenous young people made up 53 per cent of young people in detention in Queensland at 31 March 2011.
• Indigenous adults made up 29.9 per cent of those in prison in Queensland at 30 June 2010.
• In 2010, there were 2449 Indigenous victims of assault, comprising 12.5 per cent of all victims of assault in the state. Indigenous people comprised 11.4 per cent (483 victims) of reported sexual assault victims.
• Indigenous victims are more likely to be assaulted by someone they know or a member of their family. For example, in 2010, 80 per cent (1971) of Indigenous victims of assault and 77 per cent (368) of Indigenous victims of sexual assault reported that the offender was known to them. Forty-five per cent of Indigenous victims of assault reported being assaulted by a family member compared with 13 per cent of non-Indigenous victims.