U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Aboriginal Criminal Justice

NCJ Number
111555
Author(s)
K Hazlehurst; A T Dunn
Date Published
1988
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Although Australian Aboriginal populations comprise only 1.4 percent of the country's total population, they represent 14.5 percent of the inmate population.
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that a greater proportion of Aboriginal court appearances involve younger children and that, by the time they reach adulthood, most Aboriginal offenders are receiving harsher sentences as a consequence of prior convictions. Aboriginals comprise a low percentage of inmates sentenced for white-collar offenses and other premeditated forms of crime. The most frequent convictions were offensive behavior and public order offenses, assault, driving violations, property offenses, and justice procedure offenses such as contempt of court and breach of bond. Compared to non-Aboriginals, Aboriginals were more frequently convicted of person offenses and less frequently convicted of property offenses. In addition, Aboriginal juveniles, particularly males, are overrepresented at every level of the juvenile justice system. Researchers and administrators have examined factors contributing to high Aboriginal incarceration rates. State and territorial Governments have been urged to address the situation by upgrading legal and rehabilitative services, examine areas in which justice may fail to be impartial, and develop community justice options such as dispute resolution and community service orders. In addition, efforts are needed to enhance the quality of Aboriginal life, reempower Aboriginals, and aboriginalize criminal justice administrations. 3 figures and 9 notes.