Andrews government can end the mass-imprisonment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Yoorrook hearings
In the Yoorrook Justice Commision hearings convened by the first formal truth-telling process into injustices experienced by First Peoples in Victoria, the Human Rights Law Centre will endorse the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service’s call for the Andrews government to move towards a zero-prison population and for longer term transformation change of the criminal legal system.
There is a long overdue need for transformational change, alongside urgent action to address the mass imprisonment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now, including:
Overhauling discriminatory bail laws which are resulting in unsentenced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being locked up in pre-trial detention at alarming rates.
Ending the status quo of police investigating themselves and dodging accountability for misconduct and discriminatory policing.
Stopping the pipeline of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children into prisons by raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to at least 14 years old.
Properly supporting self-determined alternatives being led by Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations.
The Human Rights Law Centre’s submission to Yoorrook is available here.