Indigenous-specific court initiatives to support Indigenous defendants, victims and witnesses

RB/CIP Number: 17
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Lorana Bartels

This brief highlights some current initiatives in operation in Australian courts which seek to make the court process more responsive to the needs of Indigenous participants, along with some examples from New Zealand and Canada. Further sources of support, for example Aboriginal legal and victim support services and judicial education, including judicial benchbooks, are also considered, along with issues around language and communication. While it is acknowledged that most of the initiatives described have not been formally evaluated, some initiatives have been identified as examples of good or promising practice which can provide lessons for policy makers.