Strategy to reduce overrepresentation of First Nations peoples in the justice system consultation
The First Nations Justice Office (FNJO) in the Department of Justice and Attorney-General (DJAG) has partnered with i2i Global—an Indigenous-owned and led organisation—to start the conversation to co-design a community and whole-of-government strategy (the strategy) to reduce the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the justice system.
There are currently too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the justice system. This includes being in trouble with police, going to court or prison, or being victim-survivors of crime and domestic and family violence (DFV).
We want to make sure the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are heard to help make a better tomorrow by engaging with community to develop the strategy.
Why we are doing this
The Women’s and Safety Justice Taskforce first report Hear her voice – Report One – Addressing coercive control and domestic and family violence in Queensland recommended the development and implementation of the strategy to address the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the criminal justice system, to be operational before the criminalisation of coercive control.
The strategy will also significantly contribute to achieving the Queensland Government’s commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap—in particular targets 10 and 11—to reduce incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults by 15% and young people by 30%.
Co-design process
The aim of the co-design process is to develop local solutions to local issues in the context of local service systems. The voices, lived experiences and cultural authority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are integral to the co-design, co-ownership and co-implementation of the strategy.
Accordingly, the co-design/co-development process includes the following phases:
- planning
- yarning
- collating and reviewing
- validating
- developing.
The FNJO team commenced the co-design process in June 2023, with the initial focus on the Queensland community justice groups.
Subsequent to the initial process, the FNJO partnered with i2i Global to conduct whole-of-government and community consultations through a blend of face-to-face and online sessions across Queensland, as part of the co-design and co-development process. The collation, review and validation of the community feedback will inform the development and work of the strategy.
The timeline for this process is as follows:
- consultation—to 6 October 2023
- feedback and validation—October 2023
- draft strategy developed—November 2023.
Have your say
The consultation closed at 5pm on Friday 6 October 2023.
Your privacy
The personal information you provided as part of your submission was collected by DJAG for the purpose of obtaining comment on the proposed strategy. Your information will be handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009. Find out more by reading our privacy statement.
In future, submissions may be referred to in public documents in a way that does not identify individuals. Your submission may also be released to other government agencies as part of the development of the strategy. Please note that all submissions may be subject to disclosure as required by legislation, such as the Right to Information Act 2009, and access to submissions will be determined in accordance with relevant legislation.
Contact
If you have questions about the strategy please email FNJO-JusticeStrategy@justice.qld.gov.au or visit the FNJO page for updates.