Indigenous Over-representation: Divergent Perspectives and the Need for a Solution
'Indigenous youth imprisonment rate is highest in two decades, Amnesty says', Calla Wahlquist, The Guardian, 2 June 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jun/02/indigenous-imprisonment-rates-creating-a-lost-generation-amnesty-report-warns>
The president of the Australian Bar Association, Patrick O'Sullivan, argues that there is no direct discrimination on the basis of race in the criminal justice system.
Sara Hudson, Research Fellow and Manager of the Indigenous Research Program at the Centre for Independent Studies is a proponent of this stance, and offers an interesting insight into why Indigenous incarceration is a function of social dysfunction and poverty, rather than the biased nature of some of the tougher laws in the Australian judicial system. She argues that these tougher laws indirectly discriminate against and disproportionately impact upon Indigenous Australians on the basis of the high rate of disadvantage suffered by the demographic.
Amnesty International adopts a differing opinion. Amnesty International secretary-general Salil Shetty argues, "We will see another generation lost to failed government policies unless Australian Governments get smarter about this, and fast...Frankly I don't think there's any other way of putting it rather than saying this is racial prejudice." Whatever your opinion is on the source of Indigenous over-representation, it cannot be denied that Indigenous over-representation exists, and it exists right now. It is an issue that is suffered by men, women, and children every single day, and it is an issue that requires a solution.
Amnesty International's report explores the story behind Australia's high rate of Indigenous incarceration with a focus on Indigenous youth. More importantly, however, it provides a list of recommendations to the Australian government on ways to combat this systemic cancer that continues to thrive in this society we all live in.
References
Catch Sara Hudson's article here.
Read about Salil Shetty and Amnesty International's stance on Indigenous incarceration here.
Read "A brighter tomorrow: keeping Indigenous kids in the community and out of detention in Australia" here.
