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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 11:33 pm
Time: 11:33 pm
Results for female offenders (australia)
2 results foundAuthor: Bartels, Lorana Title: Diversion Programs for Indigenous Women Summary: This paper presents a brief overview of the key diversion programs for Indigenous women currently in operation in Australia, with reference to relevant developments in New Zealand and Canada. It was prepared against the background of recent research on Indigenous women’s offending patterns and their over-representation in the criminal justice system, which included the following key findings: • analysis of data from New South Wales, the Northern Territory and South Australia indicated that Indigenous women are between nine and 16 times more likely to offend than their non-Indigenous counterparts; this is a much greater over-representation than for men (8–10 times more likely); • Indigenous women generally serve shorter sentences than their non-Indigenous counterparts, which suggests that Indigenous women are being imprisoned for more minor offences, especially public order offences; and • Indigenous women are more likely than non-Indigenous women to be on remand. According to the most recent data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS 2010), there were, on average, 663 full-time adult female Indigenous prisoners in Australia in the June 2010 quarter, comprising 30 percent of the full-time adult female prison population. By way of comparison, there were 6,984 adult male Indigenous prisoners, comprising 26 percent of the adult male prison population. Although the numbers of Indigenous women in prison are clearly much smaller than for their male counterparts, they are over-represented to a greater extent. The imprisonment rate for adult Indigenous women was 394 per 100,000, having risen by 14 percent from 346 in 2006, compared with 25 for the general adult female population. The rates for the Indigenous male and general male populations in the June 2010 quarter were 4,337 and 321 respectively (ABS 2010). Indigenous women are therefore 16 times more likely to be imprisoned than the general adult female population, compared with 14 times for Indigenous men. It appears that very little has been written—and indeed done — on diversion in relation to Indigenous status and women; most of the literature focuses on one aspect or the other. For example, an examination published by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) on the impact of pre-court diversion in the Northern Territory on juvenile offending provided a breakdown by gender and Indigenous status, but no breakdown on the basis of both. In addition, where such programs exist, there is little evidence of their effectiveness and a lack of comprehensive independent evaluation. More must be done, therefore, to disseminate information about the programs currently in place and wherever possible, to evaluate such programs. Notwithstanding the dearth of evaluative evidence demonstrating the efficacy of the diversion programs, the emerging evidence base, coupled with the overwhelming — and steadily rising —over-representation of Indigenous women in the prison population indicates there is a need for further development and funding of programs that can assist in diverting more Indigenous women from the prison system specifically and the criminal justice system more generally. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2010. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Research in Practice Report, No. 13: Accessed March 14, 2011 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/E/C/7/%7BEC7ECE38-209C-4FAA-876A-246D2F6A5DCF%7Drip13.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/E/C/7/%7BEC7ECE38-209C-4FAA-876A-246D2F6A5DCF%7Drip13.pdf Shelf Number: 121003 Keywords: Alternatives to IncarcerationDiversionFemale Offenders (Australia)Female PrisonersIndigenous Peoples |
Author: Bartels, Lorana Title: Indigenous Women's Offending Patterns: A Literature Review Summary: This report is a literature review on Indigenous women’s offending patterns and therefore provides an important contribution to understanding an often neglected area of criminal justice. The report presents information on Indigenous women as offenders and prisoners, as well as considering the issue of over-policing, including for juvenile Indigenous females. Data are also presented on community corrections and periodic detention and the under-utilisation of juvenile diversion. The majority of information in the report relates to Indigenous women as prisoners, including information on imprisonment rates and numbers. Significantly, the rate of imprisonment of Indigenous women across Australia rose from 346 to 369 per 100,000 between 2006 and June 2009. In addition, Indigenous women outnumbered Indigenous men as a proportion of the relevant prison population in almost all jurisdictions. Indigenous women generally serve shorter sentences than their non-Indigenous counterparts, which suggests that Indigenous women are being imprisoned for more minor offences, especially public order offences. Indigenous women are also more likely to be on remand than non-Indigenous women. The characteristics of Indigenous female prisoners are considered in this report, with particular reference to the comparatively high rates of hospital admissions for mental disorders and post-release mortality rates. Examination of Indigenous women’s role as mothers and carers highlights the need for further research and relevant services. Policing, court and corrections data provide an overview of the types of offences committed by Indigenous women, with particular reference to the offences of public drunkenness, assault and homicide. The relationship between Indigenous women’s offending patterns and their exposure to family violence is explored and highlights the need for further examination. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2010. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Research and Public Policy Series 107: Accessed July 6, 2011 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/F/4/0/%7BF400B08D-7ECB-43EE-BB6E-38B2C3580A46%7Drpp107.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/F/4/0/%7BF400B08D-7ECB-43EE-BB6E-38B2C3580A46%7Drpp107.pdf Shelf Number: 121973 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Juvenile OffendersFemale Offenders (Australia)Indigenous Peoples |