This review examines published and unpublished literature about interventions designed to combat volatile substance misuse (VSM), defined as the deliberate inhalation of a volatile substance in order to achieve a […]

The Northern Territory exhibits a high level of alcohol consumption, and Katherine is no exception. It is relevant to note that almost a quarter of their population is indigenous, and […]

This report presents interim findings from a study of petrol sniffing prevalence in a sample of 41 Australian Aboriginal communities, drawn from nine regions located in Northern Territory, South Australia, […]

This lecture discusses the articulation between the new justice practices of restorative justice and Indigenous justice, and the politics of race and gender. The speaker describes the findings from her […]

The literature that has emerged around restorative justice often claims that restorative justice delivers more effective justice, partly because it offers community members and organisations a far wider role than […]

The directions that responses to crime are moving are discussed: the first being innovative, promising to change established forms of criminal justice; the second being repetitive, to intensify established forms […]

Indigenous sentencing courts were established in 1999 to increase trust between Indigenous people and white justice, and to strengthen Indigenous communities. This article highlights the findings from the first in-depth […]

This report presents the first qualitative study of how Indigenous offenders view the court process and the role of Indigenous Elders, with reference to the Nowra Circle Court in New […]

Alcohol related violence, including family violence, the purchase of unregistered/uninsured vehicles and public drinking legislation are seen as three major criminal justice issues affecting Indigenous Australians. The paper gives a […]

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognises international norms and evolving human rights standards pertaining to Indigenous peoples. While some of the rights elaborated in the […]

This is the first report of a research project on experiences of Indigenous victims of sexual violence in the criminal justice system. In this phase, the project examines the way […]

An industry roundtable to identify research priorities in the areas of improving Aboriginal prisoner health and reducing recidivism was held by the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health in November […]

Despite considerable evidence of high levels of co morbidity, drug and alcohol treatment agencies and mainstream psychiatric services often fail to identify and respond to concurrent psychiatric or drug and […]

This report is the final of three evaluation reports developed as part of an evaluation of the County Koori Court pilot program undertaken from 2009 to 2011. It analyses both […]

This paper discusses the application of the ‘what works’ approach to the rehabilitation of Indigenous Australian offenders. It suggests that those from Indigenous cultures may not share some of the […]

There is now a substantial amount of published literature describing the range of programs and interventions that have been implemented in an attempt to improve aspects of community safety. Only […]

Drawing on research conducted with Canadian Indigenous offenders and Australian Indigenous offenders, this paper applies the Risk, Needs and Responsivity Model of rehabilitation to Indigenous offenders. While the paper focuses […]

The first part of this study reviews the ‘what works’ research literature on the rehabilitation of young offenders; compares this evidence based practice with current service delivery in juvenile justice […]

Prison industries represent an important component of service delivery for correctional administrations around the world and yet there have been few attempts to articulate the specific role that they play […]

This is an edited version of the Hon. Bob Debus’ Society of Labor Lawyers Annual lecture in memory of Frank Walker. In it, Mr Debus reflects on changes in the […]

Concerned about the likely impacts of heavy cannabis use in rural and remote communities and recognising the need to equip police with advice on ways to work more effectively with […]

This document is intended to provide current, objective and empirically-based information to inform the implementation of policies and programs for promoting the reduction of harms associated with substance abuse in […]

Research studies have identified a disproportionate number of Indigenous Australians in the correctional system, and argued the importance of diverting young men and women away from a life of substance […]

Paternal imprisonment creates a significant risk for the intergenerational transmission of offending but there is little research on the mechanisms underpinning this risk. Culturally relevant research is also essential in […]

The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (also known as LSIC and Footprints in Time) study collects important information about the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, covering areas […]

The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (also known as LSIC and Footprints in Time) study collects important information about the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, covering areas […]

The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (also known as LSIC and Footprints in Time) study collects important information about the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, covering areas […]

This agenda responds to high rates of family violence affecting Indigenous families and communities, and the call for preventative invested initiatives employing local Indigenous skills, better police presence and better […]

In light of the unacceptable and increasing numbers of substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect, the Australian Government has committed to developing a national framework for protecting children, and […]

The Indigenous Remote Service Delivery (IRSD) Special Account aims to: support high priority projects in remote Indigenous communities in the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Service Delivery; develop, promote, assist […]

From May to September 2009, the Australian Government conducted extensive consultations with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory about future directions for the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER). In its […]

The Prevention, Diversion, Rehabilitation and Restorative Justice Program works to divert Indigenous Australians away from adverse contact with the legal system and provides activities that will rehabilitate and support Indigenous […]

The Law and Justice Advocacy Development (LJAD) program is a small grant program administered by the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD). The program supports the advancement of the legal rights of Indigenous […]

Surveys have shown that, while Indigenous Australians are less likely than non-Indigenous Australians to consume alcohol, those that do are more likely to drink at risky and high-risk levels. Indigenous […]

The first phase of the Aboriginal Justice Agreement (AJA1) was launched in June 2000 and was reviewed four years later. The review recommended that Government and the Koori community renew […]

On 22 November 2012 the Victorian Government released a strengthened Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework 2013 – 2018 (VAAF) to bring together Government and Aboriginal community commitments and efforts in order […]

The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (also known as LSIC and Footprints in Time) study collects important information about the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, covering areas […]

The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (also known as LSIC and Footprints in Time) study collects important information about the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, covering areas […]

Circle Courts are designed to educate the community on issues surrounding offending and the promotion and enrichment of Aboriginal culture and family values. Circle sentencing operates on the belief that […]

This paper explores the challenges of crime prevention through social development in those Aboriginal communities in Canada that are commonly associated with cross-border activities that comprise a central element of […]

Drawing on their shared experiences working with Aboriginal communities, Jane Dickson-Gilmore and Carol LaPrairie examine the outcomes of restorative justice projects, paying special attention to such prominent programs as conferencing, […]

This paper highlights the need for alternative prevention and intervention strategies to curb the ?epidemic? of family violence within Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper discusses the context of violence and […]

The report sets out to comprehensively analyse major reviews and evaluations of programs relevant to Indigenous labour market outcomes, including national mainstream and Indigenous-specific policies. This report critically reviews evaluations […]

For six years the author of this article was a special commissioner on the Law Reform Commission of Western Australia inquiry into the recognition of Aboriginal law and culture. The […]

In many Australian States and Territories the provocation defence has recently been the subject of law reform. In the Northern Territory, since the 1950s judgements of Kriewaldt J, Aboriginal people’s […]

Justice Martin Kriewaldt, a judge of the Northern Territory Supreme Court from 1951 to 1960, frequently struggled with the question of how to understand and distinguish Aboriginal people in relation […]

Around 30000 people live in the diverse region of the Kimberley in Western Australia, a significant proportion of whom are Indigenous. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of Kimberly communities drink […]

This major review of both the published and unpublished literature on petrol sniffing in Australia examines features of successful strategies for dealing with this complex problem. It explores the context […]