CPA - The Guardian

The number of Indigenous young people being locked up in Australia has steadily increased over the past decade, a federal parliamentary committee has been told.

In a submission from the Australian Institute of Criminology, members of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs were told Indigenous juveniles made up 58 percent of all detained juveniles in Australia.

The AIC said males were 28 times more likely to be locked up than their non-Indigenous counterparts, while Indigenous females were 24 times more likely to end up in detention.

AIC director Dr Adam Tomlinson and research analyst Dr Kelly Richards appeared before the inquiry ‘into the high level of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system’ in Canberra on February 11.

Dr Tomlinson and Dr Richards told the committee there was a great deal of evidence to demonstrate that Indigenous young people were significantly over-represented at every stage of the criminal justice system.

They said the AIC had monitored juveniles in detention in Australia for nearly three decades, since 1981.

“The juveniles in detention monitoring program obtains data from each jurisdiction on a quarterly basis on the number of juveniles in detention, and the characteristics of these juveniles,” they said.

The inquiry also heard the AIC was now monitoring the contact Indigenous juveniles had with police and courts.

A report last year found Indigenous juveniles came into contact with police disproportionally compared with other juveniles.

Dr Tomlinson and Dr Richards outlined various successful programs.

Meanwhile, a study quoted in the AIC’s submission showed that diversionary measures resulted in positive outcomes for juveniles.

“Importantly, the study found that continued contact with the criminal justice system is less common among those juveniles who participate in diversionary alternatives to court,” the submission said.

Committee chair, MP Bob Debus, said diversionary measures such as conferencing and intensive court supervision for Indigenous juveniles “should be available everywhere if we are truly committed to closing the gap on Indigenous juveniles and young adults’ involvement in the criminal justice system.”

Further public hearings will be held around the country until May.

The Koori Mail

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