Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to be arrested and imprisoned at a rate far above that of the wider community. The rate of imprisonment of indigenous Australians is more than twenty five times greater than that of the wider community. This is a consequence of the deep social and economic disadvantage suffered by indigenous people.
All Australian citizens have the right to be treated fairly under the law.
Indigenous peoples are imprisoned at twice the rate of other Australians and are taken into police custody more often for minor offences. The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody examined the deaths of 99 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody. The Royal Commission concluded that the most significant cause of over-representation in custody was the economic, social and political disadvantage suffered by many indigenous peoples. Of the 99 deaths examined, only two individuals had completed secondary education, and almost all had early and repeated contact with the criminal justice system. Forty-three people were separated from their families under government policies.