Preview

Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Case Study

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
62 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Case Study
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia are substantially over-represented in the criminal justice system. This is caused by an interplay of complex historical and contemporary factors including dispossession of land, structural disadvantage, systemic racism, intergenerational poverty and trauma, over-policing, substance misuse and mental illness, tough-on-crime policies and the chronic under-funding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal and interpreter services.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Under section 15 (1) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Section 3 (e) of the Canadian Multicultural Act, proclaim the rights of residents to be free from discrimination (Griffiths, 2013, 2008). The lack of community relations between the police and the community they serve creates a potential for distrust and misunderstanding by both parties. This sometimes leads to targeting specific people or profiling entire minority groups with criminal activity (Griffiths, 2013, 2008). “Racial Profiling can lead to racial discrimination, which may manifest itself overtly, subconsciously, or systemically” (Griffiths, 2013, p. 299). Research shows that Aboriginal people represent 4% of the Canadian population and 1 in 5 inmates in federal prisons (Griffiths, 2013,…

    • 1738 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The historic treatment and representation (of Aboriginal people) has a great influence on how people perceive aboriginal women today. The police are stated to view indigenous people as a community in which the public needs protecting from and instead of providing protection, disregard reports with evidence expressed in the incident where aboriginal women were being reported as missing, but the police chose to believe that the women had instead run away. The author calls for drastic change to be implemented to solve the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women, stating that a collaboration of all levels of the justice system is needed, and that gender equality for aboriginal women must be established while continuing to focus on…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Following the recent apprehension of a young Aboriginal boy over the theft of a single chocolate Freddo frog, must media debate has been sparked. An opinion piece written in The Age on the 18th of November, 2009, Australian Justice is Coloured, was written by Chris Cuneen in response to this incident. Cuneen contends that the Aboriginal Youths are currently suffering at the injustices of the Australian justice system. Appealing to those with a keen interest in the justice system and human rights, employs a prudent and credible tone to position readers align with his contention that Aboriginal youths are currently suffering at the injustices of the Australian justice system.…

    • 386 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    According to Fitzgerald and Carrington (2008), Aboriginal people’s population in criminal justice system is seven times greater than their population in Canada (p. 524). Aboriginal people are over-represented in Correctional institute, making Aboriginal people the largest population of incarceration. As of 2013 while Aboriginal people make up only 4% of the Canadian population, they presented 23.2% of federal inmate population (___). According to --- incarceration rate for Aboriginal adults in Canada is 10 times higher than the non- Aboriginal adults. (__). The root causes of Aboriginal over-representation in the criminal justice system can be found in the poverty and marginalization of Aboriginal…

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Prior to the freedom rides indigenous people were mistreated and weren’t considered to be first class citizens of Australia. However, when people became aware of the mistreatment, they started to protest in many places in New South Wales, this was known as the freedom rides. This movement was led by Charles Perkins, who was one of the first indigenous people to attend university.…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    1. How have the following factors contributed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s ill health? Please make sure you answer the questions with a focus on health issues.…

    • 1625 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    How many years ago, is it estimated, that the shape of Australia’s coastline was defined?…

    • 1296 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    ATSI people were 1.6 times more likely to report asthma as non-Indigenous people. Asthma was reported almost twice as often in non-remote areas (17%) as in remote areas (9%) with ATSI’s.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I have worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Alice Springs, Weipa, Innisfail, Broome and Adelaide. I am a current member of the Reconciliation Advisory Committee for the Campbelltown City Council and passionately believe that reconciliation is the responsibility of every Australian. I have over sixteen-years experience working directly with culturally and linguistically diverse community members and have gained a sound understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture. I possess excellent management, community engagement, research and communication skills and strongly believe the experiences I have gained from previous work roles, along with my desire to advocate reconciliation, makes me perfectly suited…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Colonisation has profoundly impacted the indigenous people of countries all around the world, and although the experiences differ locally, it has in most instances caused them much suffering. This essay will examine some of the impacts of colonisation on the indigenous communities.…

    • 1656 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In 1996, the sentencing provisions of the Criminal Code were significantly amended, after RCAP made distinct recommendations in 1995 (Proulx, 2000). Among the amendments was section 718.2(e), which instructed judges to look for alternatives to imprisonment that are reasonable to the circumstance, “…with particular attention to the circumstance of Aboriginal offenders”. The governments began to realize that overrepresentation was a major problem, and the reality that Indigenous people were being incarcerated at an extremely disproportionate rate. This new law gave the Criminal Justice System more sentencing options for Aboriginals, and attempted to eradicate the ‘one-justice-fits-all’ approach (Proulx, 2000). This, however, did not mean that Aboriginal offenders would receive a shorter sentence, or a ‘get out of a jail free card’; rather, judges could now consider two important factors. The first thing judges were asked to consider was what background and systemic factors that has brought the individual to court, and second, what available sanctions including community options are available and best suitable for the accused (LaPrairie, 2002). Although this was implemented in the late 1990’s, research has proven that 10 years later, overrepresentation has actually increased as opposed to decreased (LaPrairie, 2002). Judges are not given all the necessary information they need to apply these two factors that are entrenched within the Gladue (LaPraire, 2002). The built-in systemic discrimination by the judges makes it easy for them to ignore these considerations, and automatically sentence the offenders to prison. The aim of this section was to keep Aboriginals out of jail, and seek other alternatives that support the idea of restorative justice (Perreault, 2009). Our current legal system tends to be adversarial, however in Aboriginal…

    • 4820 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The reality is consistently worsening throughout the years. One must first recognize the possible theories as to why this is happening in order to come up with solutions. Three major theories were identified as the culture clash, socio-economic status and colonialism. These explanations for overrepresentation also pose solutions and these must be followed in order to improve Canada’s current situation. In the context of a discussion of Aboriginal overrepresentation the court stated the case quite dramatically, “These findings cry out for recognition of the magnitude and gravity of the problem, and for responses to alleviate it. The figures are stark and reflect what may fairly be termed a crisis in the Canadian justice system.” The mass incarceration and overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the Canadian criminal justice system has been deemed as a crisis. The criminal law need not be changed, but rather simple mentalities and treatment changes within the criminal justice system need to…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The emotional impact that historical experiences have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people could cause the following:…

    • 213 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beginning in 1910 and ending in the 1970s, Australians Federal and State government agencies and church missions made a policy to forcibly take many aboriginal and Torres Strait children away from their families in an attempt to destroy the Aboriginal race and culture. There was an impact on the aboriginals with a particular policy the Australian Government had introduced, which was the policy of ‘Assimilation’. This policy was to encourage many Aboriginal people to give up their culture, language, tradition, knowledge and spirituality to basically become white Australians. Unfortunately this policy didn’t give the Aboriginals the same rights as white Australians, as a result of discrimination, aboriginals were moved to live in special housing…

    • 268 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Indigenous Disadvantage

    • 2092 Words
    • 9 Pages

    For the last 200 years Indigenous people have been victims of discrimination, prejudice and disadvantage. Poor education, poor living conditions and general poverty are still overwhelming issues for a large percentage of our people and we remain ‘as a group, the most poverty stricken sector of the working class’ in Australia (Cuthoys 1983).…

    • 2092 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays