Over-represented and overlooked : the crisis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's growing over-imprisonment

Abstract

The crisis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's<br/ >over-imprisonment, both in prisons and police cells, is<br/ >causing immeasurable harm. Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women<br/ >comprise 34 per cent of women behind bars but only 2<br/ >per cent of the adult female Australian population. Even<br/ >more women are cycling in and out of courts and police<br/ >cells. This is a crisis, carrying with it profound effects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, their children<br/ >and their communities. The report's emphasis is on the criminal justice system<br/ >and the importance of responding to the distinct rights,<br/ >histories and circumstances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait<br/ >Islander women, which are different in many respects to<br/ >those of men. In particular, violence against Aboriginal and<br/ >Torres Strait Islander women, which contributes directly<br/ >and indirectly to women's offending, must be addressed to<br/ >reduce the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander<br/ >women in the criminal justice system, both as victim/<br/ >survivors and offenders. Strategies must also be responsive<br/ >to the vital roles Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander<br/ >women play in their communities and families, including as<br/ >primary carers of children.<br/ >Critically, this report calls for strategies to be designed,<br/ >implemented and evaluated by, and in partnership<br/ >with, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women,<br/ >consistent with principles of community control and<br/ >self-determination