Doha Declaration

Education for Justice

Community Conferencing and the Fiction of Indigenous Control

Full title in original language:

Community Conferencing and the Fiction of Indigenous Control

Education level:

University

University (18+ years)

Topic / subtopic:

Crime prevention and criminal justice

Restorative justice

Criminal justice system

Target audience:

Students, Teachers / Lecturers

Type of resource:

Publication / Article

Languages:

English

Region of relevance:

Global

Access:

restricted access: requiring payment

Individual authors:

Chris Cunneen

Publication year:

1997

Published by:

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology / SAGE Pub

Copyright holder:

Contact name and address:

Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology

Contact website:

https://journals.sagepub.com/page/contact/home

Key themes:

Links:

Publication

Short description:

The paper analyses the use of community conferencing for young people in various jurisdictions in Australia in the light of its impact in Indigenous communities. It argues that the manner in which these programs have been introduced has ignored Aboriginal rights to self-determination and has grossly simplified Indigenous mechanisms for resolving conflicts. In most jurisdictions, community conferencing has reinforced the role of state police and done little to ensure greater control over police discretionary decision-making. The changes have also been introduced in the context of more punitive law and order policies, including mandatory minimum imprisonment terms and repeat offender legislation for juveniles. The end result is likely to be greater bifurcation of the juvenile justice system along racialised boundaries, with Indigenous youth receiving more punitive outcomes.

Short description:

The paper analyses the use of community conferencing for young people in various jurisdictions in Australia in the light of its impact in Indigenous communities. It argues that the manner in which these programs have been introduced has ignored Aboriginal rights to self-determination and has grossly simplified Indigenous mechanisms for resolving conflicts. In most jurisdictions, community conferencing has reinforced the role of state police and done little to ensure greater control over police discretionary decision-making. The changes have also been introduced in the context of more punitive law and order policies, including mandatory minimum imprisonment terms and repeat offender legislation for juveniles. The end result is likely to be greater bifurcation of the juvenile justice system along racialised boundaries, with Indigenous youth receiving more punitive outcomes.

Doha Declaration

Education for Justice

Supported by the State of Qatar

60 years Crime Congress