Breaking the cycle. Indigenous over-representation in our criminal justice system. 2% of the Australian population. 20% of the adult prison population. Why is this happening? And what are we doing about it?
Meet Tom: at 15 he’d prefer to be shooting hoops than going to school. He lives in a rural Indigenous community in north Queensland with his parents and has started getting into trouble with the law. He’s hanging around the wrong crowd, wagging class and failing exams. Home isn’t great either. Tom’s father drinks too much and loses his temper. Sometimes he hits Tom — sometimes he hits Tom’s mother. Tom’s had a few minor run-ins with the police for shop lifting, sniffing petrol and vandalising a bus shelter.
What does the future hold for Tom? Is he destined for a life of crime, violence and jail? Or does he have a chance to turn his life around?
Join moderator Julie McCrossin and a panel of experts for a lively yet informative discussion about how we deal with Indigenous people who break the law. The 2009 Law Week hypothetical will give you the chance to be the judge. After hearing all the facts of the case, what sentence would you deliver?
Julie — radio broadcaster, TV personality, print journalist and professional MC — will guide the panel and audience through a scenario, exploring the current response of our criminal justice, education and community services to the over-representation of Indigenous people in our justice system.
You’ll get the chance to ask questions, make comments and learn more about our justice system and the issues that confront our Julie McCrossin schools, courts and community services.
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Produced by Legal Aid Queensland.
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