Type:	Journal Article
Title:	Voices in the wilderness: restoring justice to traumatised peoplesForum: family violence in Indigenous communities
Other Titles:	The University of New South Wales law journal
Authors:	Atkinson, Judy
Keywords:	Indigenous issues;Criminal justice responses;Restorative justice
Year:	2002
Publisher:	University of New South Wales Law School
Citation:	25 (1), 2002
Notes:	The current criminal justice system response to address domestic violence within Indigenous communities fails to recognise the nature of the problem. Aboriginal domestic violence, just one aspect of family violence, has particular characteristics somehow shaped by alcohol abuse, welfare dependency, separation from their families and self-harm. Indigenous communities are experiencing the trauma caused by human-made disasters. The high levels of incarceration, deaths in custody and consequences of confinement render imprisonment strategies to prevent or reduce domestic violence significantly damaging to Indigenous offenders and their victims. A restorative justice policy, which provides support to victims and offenders, seems more appropriate. This system offers education, promotes acceptance of responsibility and introduces innovative sentencing. With a ‘whole-of-government/whole-of-community’ approach, the cycle of trauma might be broken.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/17404
ISSN:	0313-0096
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

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