Week Five Flashcards
What steps have been taken to reduce over representation of indigenous youth in the justice system
Queensland aboriginal and Torres Strait islander justice agreement: signed between QLD gov and aboriginal and TSI advisory board in 2000 to achieve reductions in numbers of youth in contact w system.
Closing the gap strategy: gov run long term approach that focused on reducing disadvantage in childhood, education, health and community.
What is the statistic for overrepresentation
Indigenous people make up 2.6% of total population. Indigenous aged 10-14 were 8 times more likely to be charged by police.
Seven to 10 times more likely to appear in children’s court
Aged 10-17 were 15 times more likely to be under community based supervision
Aged between 10-17 were 24 times more likely to be in detention
Indigenous young people made up 3.7% of QLD population but account for 60% of total juvenile detention population.
Over represented in all stages of youth justice system.
What is systemic bias
Aka institutionalised racism
Underrepresentation in formal police cautioning and conferencing programs max
Bias against them
What is differential offending
Different offending profiles of young indigenous people
Contact w yjs at younger age and engage in more serious and more frequent offending
Less likely to be diverted from formal processing which inevitably results in greater levels of over-representation and more punitive sanction at subsequent levels of system
What influences indigenous contact w system
Past history of violence: colonisation, dispossession of land, loss of cultural heritage and unequal treatment. Also western justice system .
Lead to high levels of substance abuse and crime in indigenous communities and disadvantages in economy social etc
What is the link between victimisation and indigenous youth
Overrepresented as both offenders and victims
More likely to be neglected and or abused.
Notification of child abuse was 6.5 times higher for indigenous child.
High rate of abuse reflects social dysfunction. From past problems and higher levels of financial distress, unemployment and substance abuse
