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A “dramatic and urgent” whole of government response is needed in order to reduce the number of Indigenous youths detained in state juvenile justice systems, argues the president of the Law Society of NSW.
There is an “urgent need to address the systemic challenges” impacting upon the “overwhelming rates” of Indigenous incarceration of youths, both at a state and national level, said Law Society of NSW president Elizabeth Espinosa.
“This cannot happen without increased NSW government funding for Indigenous-specific services that support an early intervention and holistic approach to care and protection issues.”
Indigenous youth make up only 4 per percent of the youth population in NSW, but 51 per cent of the juvenile detention population, she said, and noted that three-quarters of the Indigenous population have been cautioned by police, referred to a youth justice conference, or convicted of a criminal offence before they are 23 years old.
The NSW Law Society identified a number of key Indigenous Justice issues, which it said must form part of a whole of government response.
Those issues included: “the need for training and education focusing on the unique issues that Indigenous young people face, for those employed in law enforcement, care and protection and education systems; the need for policy development within the NSW Education Department that prioritises strategies aimed at keeping Indigenous young people engaged and welcome in our schools; [and] increased funding for Indigenous-specific services for young Indigenous people that recognise the importance of community-led initiatives, such as the Youth Koori Court and the Maranguka Justice Reinvestment program in Bourke”.
Ms Espinosa’s comments follow the release of the federal government’s 2019 Closing the Gap Report, which outlined how “minimal progress has been made” in reducing Indigenous incarceration rates and improving Indigenous justice outcomes.
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Jerome Doraisamy is the managing editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in New South Wales, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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Jerome Doraisamy
