Indigenous Incarceration: Key Facts and Solutions

PwC's Indigenous Consulting, Richmond Football Club (RFC), and the Korin Gamadji Institute (KGI) collaborated with Change the Record to produce a report on Indigenous incarceration: Unlock the facts.
The report highlights the critical issue of Indigenous incarceration, its human and economic impact, and recommends actions for meaningful change.
KGI works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth on leadership, cultural affirmation, and resilience, which are protective factors against incarceration.
Change the Record advocates for investing in early intervention, prevention, and diversion initiatives to address violence against women, reduce reoffending, and build safer communities.
The report highlights the economic impact and potential savings for Governments and taxpayers through reduced imprisonment rates.
Disproportionate Indigenous imprisonment rates are unfair, unsafe, and unaffordable.
Since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the proportion of Indigenous people in prison has doubled.
Indigenous Australians represent 3% of the total population but make up more than 27% of the prison population and 55% of the youth detention population.
The report provides economic modelling estimating the costs of Indigenous incarceration.
Closing the gap requires systemic change and smarter investment with Indigenous Australians having ownership and control over program settings.
Indigenous men are imprisoned at 11 times the rate of the general male population, and Indigenous women at 15 times the rate of the general female population.
Indigenous youth are imprisoned at 25 times the rate of non-indigenous youth.
High incarceration rates impact individuals, families, and communities leading to loss of culture, identity, and connection to the land, perpetuating a cycle of disadvantage and poverty.
High incarceration rates also significantly impact Australia's economy.
PwC, PIC, Change the Record, RFC, and KGI collaborated to quantify the economic costs, identify effective solutions and raise public awareness.
The collaboration coincides with the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum, the 25th anniversary of the Mabo decision, and the 20th anniversary of the Bringing them Home report.
Indigenous people are the most disadvantaged group in Australia due to colonization, dispossession, and social impacts.
There is a strong link between intergenerational disadvantage, poverty, and incarceration.
Key drivers of Indigenous incarceration include education, employment, health, substance abuse, social exclusion, racism, housing, inter-generational trauma, family violence, child protection, access to legal assistance, and previous contact with the justice system.
Addressing economic and social disadvantage, improving income equality, and increasing access to health, education, employment, and housing can directly influence rates of offending.
Addressing the key drivers that lead to offending and contact with the justice system has the greatest potential for impact in the longer term.
The cost to the Australian economy of Indigenous incarceration is almost 8 billion ($7.9 billion) per year and rising.
If nothing is done, this cost will rise to 9.7 billion per year in 2020 and 19.8 billion per year in 2040.
Closing the gap in incarceration rates would generate savings of 18.9 billion per year in 2040.
Evaluations show that initiatives and programs exist that are effective in reducing incarceration rates. Indigenous Australians must have control, ownership and involvement in the solutions.
The estimated costs of Indigenous incarceration in 2016 include Justice (3,931.3 million), Welfare (62.5 million), Forgone taxation (16.2 million), Cost of Crime (1,556.7 million), Loss of productive output (1,177.9 million), and Excess Burden of tax (1,148.2 million).
Self-determination requires community involvement in program design and delivery, including ownership and control, with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organizations (ACCOs) playing a key role.
System reform is required to address issues like poverty, disadvantage, lower educational attainment, mental and cognitive disabilities, child protection involvement, lack of employment, and housing.
System-wide reform includes accountability for outcomes consistent with Closing the Gap targets.
Law reform is also needed, including consideration of changes to laws and legal policy settings which contribute to the over-representation of Indigenous people in prison.
Increased community awareness is crucial, and the facts about Indigenous incarceration need to be unlocked.
Responses and solutions require a holistic approach, including initiatives delivered both inside and outside the justice system, with a focus on self-determination, system reform, law reform, and increased community awareness.
Components of our recommended approach are: Self-determination, System reform ,Law reform ,Increased community awareness ,Initiatives and programs
In 2016, the Australian Senate passed a motion which called on Commonwealth, state and territory governments to adopt a set of justice targets aimed at closing the gap in rates of incarceration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians for which all levels of government should be held accountable.
A national set of Closing the Gap justice targets is needed to support better cooperation, help with the development and monitoring of long term strategies and investments, enable a focus on outcomes, and help drive greater accountability to achieve reduced rates of Indigenous incarceration across Australia.
As part of a blueprint for change, Change the Record has proposed that Australian governments work with Indigenous communities and organisations to set justice targets, and reduce the disproportionate rates of violence experienced by Indigenous people. The target Change the Record propose is to halve the gap in the rates of imprisonment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people by 2030, before closing the gap in 2040.