Thread by @KirstiMiller30

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 21.2 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous women.

The number of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander parents—particularly women in prison has a direct effect on the number of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children in out-of-home care, which is a recognised pathway to youth detention & adult offending.

80% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in prison are mothers. Many women in the justice system care not only for their own children, but for the children of others and family who are sick and elderly.

Study after study commission after commission finds the offending behaviour of all people is linked to their circumstances.There is strong evidence that those who suffer abuse or neglect are more likely to engage in criminal activity than those who don't.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience family violence at a higher rate than the broader Australian community, and that the majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in prison have experienced physical or sexual abuse.

The overwhelming majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in prison are survivors of physical and sexual violence. Many also struggle with housing insecurity, poverty, mental illness, disability and the effects of trauma.

Criminal justice systems across Australia continue to be largely unresponsive to the unique experiences, circumstances and strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Criminal justice reform is one aspect of a range of strategies required to address family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

A combination of prevent education, community engagement, support services & legal assistance as both early intervention & response are all crucial parts of the continuum of services to address & reduce family violence against Aboriginal & TSI women & children.

Indigenous women beginning in childhood. Many face high levels of ongoing family violence which have been connected to their offending behaviour with 80% of women prisoners in one Nsw study stating that they believed their offending was a direct consequence of their victimisation

The effects of repeated victimisation are well documented and can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, other mental health issues and substance abuse.

These factors are all correlated with increased risk of offending and in the case of substance abuse can constitute an offence in itself.

Therefore many Indigenous women and girls are not only stuck in cycles of abuse as victims, but also get stuck in cycles of offending in an effort to cope with their difficult life situations.

The impact of drug and alcohol abuse on incarceration rates is high, with suggestions that alcohol is a factor in up to 90% of all Indigenous contact with the criminal justice system.

Removing discretion, mandatory sentencing has resulted in inappropriate sentences of imprisonment, disproportionately high imprisonment rates in those jurisdictions in which it exists,..

& has contributed to the overwhelming overrepresentation of Aboriginal & peoples in the prison population of those jurisdictions.

Strict bail and monitoring conditions are becoming increasingly difficult to follow for some individuals with unstable living arrangements or a lack of financial means. These pose further issues for Indigenous populations 'especially in cases...

where an individual does not speak English or seeks to reside in a remote or regional community.

Police continue to use arrest for minor offences, meaning that Indigenous people are far more likely than non-Indigenous people to be arrested, charged, taken to court and given bail conditions.

A further matter is the normalisation of imprisonment. As a consequence, imprisonment loses much of its deterrent effect and becomes a rite of passage for disenchanted young people.

The RC 30yrs ago identified the main drivers behind the over-representation of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people in Australia's prisons are linked to disadvantage: high levels of poverty, poor education outcomes and high rates of unemployment, ....

lack of housing and homelessness, family dysfunction and loss of connection to community and culture. The lack of access to adequate services such as housing, health & schooling also has a direct impact on the growing rates of imprisonment of Aboriginal & TSI People.