Description

Indigenous juveniles are over-represented at all stages of the criminal justice system. This paper identifies factors which contribute to this over representation before going on to describe a number of initiatives that have been undertaken to tray and rectify this disparity. Programs included are: Doomadgee Petrol Project; Opal Fuel Initiative; Halls Creek alcohol restrictions; Pathways to Prevention Project; Night patrols; Panyappi Indigenous Youth Mentoring Project; Gwich’in Outdoor Classroom; Ngaripirliga’ajirri (Exploring Together); Multisystemic Therapy; Restorative justice processes; Community based strategies; Building on existing strengths; Addressing juvenile offending in a holistic way; Addressing juvenile offending through collaborative approaches. These strategies are outlined and discussed using a literature review as supporting evidence. This paper examines evidence about primary, secondary and tertiary crime prevention strategies to highlight what works in policies and programs designed to prevent offending by Indigenous juveniles. The preliminary evidence is that a number of policies and programs in this area have been effective.