New NSW initiative aims to reduce Indigenous incarceration rate
It’s not often you see a government minister stand up and admit they’re wrong. Today NSW Attorney General Bob Debus did just that admitting NSW locked up too many indigenous people. Launching the Aboriginal Justice Plan Mr Debus announced a range of changes to the criminal justice system that he hoped will reverse this trend. The plan, which has been approved by the government includes using circle sentecning which involves indigenous elders in court decisions, the employment of indigenous mediators and using indigenous people in night patrols. In NSW indigenous people make up 19% of the male prison population and one third of the female prison population. For people under 18 this figure rises to between 37-49% of the population. Bob Debus said we were all too aware of the statistics and it was time they reversed. Michael Atkin went to hear Bob Debus announce the Aboriginal Justice Plan.