Disadvantages Of Incarceration In Australia

1050 Words5 Pages
Commerce Year 10 legal studies Topic 1: Incarceration Donovan (2010) states that “Indigenous Australians are 13 times more likely to end up in jail than the rest of the population”. Currently, merely 3% of the total Australian population is Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islanders. On the other hand, they are greatly overrepresented in the criminal justice system of Australia as more than 28% of the prisoners around Australia are Aboriginal. The incarceration rates are dangerously high for they can cause harm to Australia economically and socially. However, there are many legal solutions, for instance, circle sentencing/Indigenous courts, healing lodges and others to aid the overrepresentation of the Indigenous in Australia’s prisons.…show more content…
Both tables clearly shows that proportion wise, more aboriginals are put in jail than others. Incarceration of indigenous and Torres Strait Island people can be immoral in many ways. Firstly, when such a high population of Aboriginal and TSI people are in jail, the Australian criminal justice system loses a lot of deterrent effect. Secondly, there is a huge economic disadvantage. It will be harder for Aboriginal and TSI people with criminal records to get jobs, therefore adding to the economic and social disadvantages. Also, tax payers will progressively pay more tax each year because keeping someone in jail costs around $275 a day which rounds up to $800,000,000 per year. . Also, incarceration causes rise of unemployment, this means people will have less money and the fewer people spend and invest, the less companies and shops will make which leads to a smaller amount of currency in the Australian economy. On the social side, because of this large proportion of Indigenous Australians put in prison, Australia could be seen to be a discriminative and unjust country. As a result, the Australian government and some local Indigenous parties have reacted to the high rates with several plans and…show more content…
These are the ones removed from their families as a child which leads to disconnection from their traditional lands and culture which creates a larger likelihood to go against the Australian law. Police behavior, police could act violently and inappropriately towards the indigenous because of racism upon the indigenous. Research say that “Aboriginal people are 15 times more likely to be charged for swearing or offensive behavior than the rest of the community” . Another factor would be their Social and economic situation such as poverty. Lastly, one of the major factors is their Lack of language skills. Numerous Aboriginal people are penalized and sent to jail without them wholly understanding the court process because English is not their first language. Furthermore, they might not be capable of defending themselves because they do not have a wide range of
Show More
Related

  • Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islanders Case Study

    856 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is to some extent that legal mechanisms have addressed issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders suffering disadvantage in Australia. The issues faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are significant in the Australian legal system, and include problems arising from evidence laws, criminal proceedings and bail laws. To begin with, the issue of evidence laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders has been addressed through legal mechanisms. Particularly, maintaining secrecy

    Read More

  • College Essay On Class Size

    1146 Words  | 5 Pages

    This program began in 1996 and was created mostly for the students with financial disadvantages and poverty. The program funded the students and implemented four rules in each school: a) reduce the student-teacher ratio meaning 15 students per teacher b) Schools started in the morning till evening due to CSR and had to have much timing. c)

    Read More

More about Disadvantages Of Incarceration In Australia

Open Document