The rates at which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are experiencing violence and being put in prison has reached a crisis point.
Over the last 10 years we have seen a 88% increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being put in prison, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now 13 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous people. Being put in prison separates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their family, community and country. It takes children away from their parents and school; and makes it harder to enter the workforce, find housing and make ends meet on the other side.
At the same time, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – especially women and children – are experiencing increasing amounts of violence. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 34 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of family violence. This is devastating lives.