The Rate Of Imprisonment Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait...

Introduction The rate of imprisonment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians has dramatically increased since 1992. Statistics went from â€Å"1 in 7 prisoners in 1992 to 1 in 4 in 2012 and to almost 1 in 3 in 2014.† There have been an abundance of proposals, plans and programs established, some of which have failed and some which are still in development, to try decrease the high numbers. The high incarceration rate of Indigenous people in Australia is considered to be a global issue that must be addressed. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prison rates The increased severity in the criminal justice system towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is claimed to be the cause for the increasing incarceration rates. Research shows that the majority of Australian prisons have a high Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, â€Å"since 1989, the imprisonment rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has increased 12 times faster than the rate of non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.† This shows that there has been major overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Australia in prisons. FIGURE 1 As seen in figure 1, Indigenous people represent 17% of the prison population on average. In Western Australia and Northern Territory it is particularly high with there being 43% and 84% of Indigenous people in prison. 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