NCJ Number
75642
Date Published
1980
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper addresses problems of Australian Aborigines in relation to the criminal law, systemic racism, and the inequities of a capitalist society.
Abstract
Subject to systemic discrimination, Aborigines have a different experience from the rest of the population at the hands of the criminal justice system. According to the 1974 census of New South Wales prisoners, Aborigines' rate of imprisonment was at least 17 times that of the rest of the population although they constitute roughly only .8 percent of the population. Police prejudice, more common in country and outback towns than in the cities, is seen in their perception, according to one survey, of the 'Aborigines' hostility and militancy,' and of 'too much government (financial) assistance.' These responses say less about the perceptions of police than about the extent to which they internalize the ruling ideology. Aborigines' utterly depressed socioeconomic conditions and their state of dispossession is particularly evident in the rural areas. Moreover, they are being forced out of rural fringe situations and into metropolitan fringe areas without adequate housing, nonexistent or limited access to medical and educational facilities, and limited to nonexistent job opportunities. Sanctions should be imposed to stop the active promotion of racism, whether individual or institutional, whether by police, magistrates, or judges. Landrights should be established so that Aborigines can implement their own housing, health, education, and employment programs.