12.05pm Murrumbidgee Room presentation by Jodie Sizer from PwC.

1. Indigenous
incarceration:
unlock the facts
NACCHO Members
Conference
1 November 2017
www.pwc.com.au

2. PwC
Overview
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Content
1. Background
2. Objectives
3. Role of PwC
4. Project partnership
5. Our approach
6. Findings
7. Recommendations
8. Next steps

3. PwC
The incarceration rates of Indigenous Australians
is unfair, unsafe and unacceptable
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4. PwC
Rates of incarceration across Australia
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Indigenous Australians as a proportion of
the population (adults)
Indigenous Australians as a proportion of
the prison population (adults)
Source: ABS, Productivity Commission
Indigenous incarceration rates
are most disproportionate in WA
and the NT
8%
16%
24%
19%
24%
32%
38%
84%
20%
1%
1%
2%
3%
3%
1%
2%

5. PwC
What we set out to do
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Raise awareness in the Australian community of, and
help drive action to address, the disproportionate rates of
Indigenous incarceration across Australia

6. PwC
What spurred us into action?
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Indigenous children and youthNon-Indigenous youth
Indigenous youth are imprisoned at 25 times the rate of non-Indigenous youth
Indigenous menGeneral male population
Indigenous men are imprisoned at 11 times the rate of the general male population
Indigenous womenGeneral female population
Indigenous women are imprisoned at 15 times the rate of the general female population

7. PwC
Real change requires collaboration and
partnerships
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8. PwC
How we approached the task
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Harvest existing knowledge and experience to identify the most effective ways
to reduce Indigenous incarceration rates in Australia and internationally, and
consult with key stakeholders
Economic modelling to quantify the current and projected economic cost of
Indigenous incarceration rates, including the consequential social costs, to Australia
Creative and compelling communications to key stakeholders and the general
public of the findings of the project and the need for urgent and major action to
address Indigenous incarceration rates – leveraging our partners
Work with partners to ensure the success and reach of the project including with
PwC’s Indigenous Consulting, Change the Record Coalition and the
Richmond Football Club/Korin Gamadji Institute.
Taking action with the Korin Gamadji Institute in Victoria and the Wirrpanda
Foundation in WA to develop a business case and secure funding for a Girls Football
Academy

9. PwC
What we found: a summary of the key drivers
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November 2017Indigenous incarceration
Additional
factors
related to
the justice
system
Access to legal
assistance
Legal policy
settings
Police
Previous
contact with
justice system
Contact with
juvenile
justice system
Relationship
with the
justice
system
Recidivism
Courts
Experience
of trauma
Underlying
causes
Poverty &
disadvantage
Social
exclusion
and
racism
Substance
abuse
Health
Employment
Education
Child
protection
Family
violence/
sexual abuse
Inter-
generational
trauma
Disability
Housing

10. PwC
Exploring the underlying causes
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Substance abuse
Health
Education
Child protection
Family violence/sexual abuse
Inter-generational traumaDisability
HousingEmployment
Social exclusion and racism
• Indigenous people who complete school are 14 times less likely to
be imprisoned than those that do not
• Employed Indigenous people are 20 times less likely to be
imprisoned than those who are unemployed
• Indigenous Australians with cognitive impairment experience
earlier and more frequent police contact than their non-
Indigenous counterparts
• 73% of Indigenous men and 86% of Indigenous women in prison
had a diagnosed mental illness vs 20% of the general population
• Social exclusion post-release can impact recidivism, with
remote communities having limited access to appropriate
community support programs and rehabilitation services
• 14-16% of Indigenous young people experience
supervision at some time between the ages 10-17 vs 1%
non-Indigenous
• An estimated 87% off all women in custody have been a
victim of abuse either as a child or adult
• Indigenous people are 1.5-3.8 times as likely to be under the
influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of their offence as non-
Indigenous people
• Indigenous prison entrants are more likely to be
homeless than non-Indigenous prison entrants (27% vs
24%)
• An estimated 1 in 5 Indigenous children have at least 1
parent in prison at any time

11. PwC
Additional factors related to the justice system
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Access to legal assistance
Legal policy settingsPolice
Contact with juvenile justice system
Recidivism
Courts
Previous contact with justice system
• High rates of Indigenous incarceration mean that a life spent
in contact with the justice system may have become
'normalised‘ and the prospect of imprisonment no longer
serves as a deterrent, but a fact of life or rite of passage
• 65% Indigenous juvenile offenders go on to serve prison
terms vs 41% non-Indigenous
• Indigenous youth offenders are less likely to receive a police
caution vs non-Indigenous youth offenders
• Studies of sentencing outcomes in Magistrates' courts
suggest that imprisonment is a more likely outcome for
Indigenous people who have offended than for non-
Indigenous people, even after adjusting for offender and
case characteristics
• The result of under-resourced Indigenous
community controlled legal services, and the
underfunding of the legal assistance sector more
broadly, is that when problems arise, they may go
unresolved or be dealt with inadequately
• 75% of Indigenous offenders have a previous
conviction vs 42% non-Indigenous offenders
• Research shows that some legal policy settings
disproportionately impact Indigenous offenders, for
example mandatory sentencing, penalties for fine
default and bail eligibility and conditions

12. PwC
What we found: initiatives to reduce Indigenous
incarceration in Australia
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Early intervention
Initiatives to enhance protective factors within vulnerable
communities
Universal prevention
Universal access to high quality, basic systems and
services
Targeted intervention
Initiatives to address factors contributing to rates of incarceration
for individuals at-risk of detention or incarceration
Prison system and post-release
Initiatives offered in the prison and juvenile detention systems and
post-release
Reforms to laws and policies that contribute to disproportionate rates of Indigenous incarceration
are also an important part of the solution and are considered as part of our analysis

13. PwC
What we found: summary of economic findings
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14. PwC
What we found: breakdown of costs in 2016
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15. PwC
Our core recommendation: a holistic approach is
required
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16. PwC
Our recommendations in more detail
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17. PwC
Next steps and questions
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18. © 2017 PricewaterhouseCoopers. All rights reserved.
PwC refers to the Australian member firm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network.
Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation