Aborigines and Crime in Australia

Minority threat and punishment: A cross-national analysis

“…A number of observers have identified how minority populations throughout the world are more likely to be punished than their counterparts from dominant majority groups (Albrecht, 1997;Broadhurst, 1997;Chiricos & Crawford, 1995;Junger-Tas, 1997;Mauer, 1999;Miller, 1996;Roberts & Doob, 1997;Stern, 1998;Tonry, 1997;Tournier, 1997;Wacquant, 1999). These studies, however, generally have focused on conditions within a single nation.…”

“…Previous studies have established that minority communities are likely to be policed more aggressively (Kane, 2003;Liska & Chamlin, 1984) and that members of these communities are more likely to be arrested (Holmes, 2000;Liska & Chamlin, 1984;Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, 2003), incarcerated (Albrecht, 1997;Bridges & Crutchfield, 1988;Broadhurst, 1997;Chiricos & Crawford, 1995;Junger-Tas, 1997;Langan, 1985;Mauer, 1999;Miller, 1996;Roberts & Doob, 1997;Stern, 1998;Tonry, 1997;Tournier, 1997;Wacquant, 1999), and subjected to more severe punishment (Carroll & Mondrick, 1976;Pruitt & Wilson, 1983;Steffensmeier & Demuth, 2000;Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, 2003), including the death penalty (Urbina, 2003b). 2…”

Ethnic and Racial Minorities and the Police: A Review of the Literature

“…In Australia, finally, although there was a significant overall decline in the arrests, Aboriginal people's arrest percentage increased by 3.5% between 1990 and 1994 (from 17.1 to 20.6%) (Broadhurst, 1997). Again, it should be noted that no matter how huge (sometimes) the differences in arrest rates some factors were not controlled, for example personal, psychodynamic characteristics of the officer and the offender (see Smith & Visher, 1981).…”

“…As Leigh and colleagues (1998) inform us, in Britain there were 380 deaths in custody between January 1990 and December 1996. The information from Australia is also astonishing as 103 Aboriginal people died in police custodies within an eight-year period (1980 to 1988) (Graborsky et al, 1988; see also Hogg, 2001, andBroadhurst, 1997 for additional information on the topic). However, it is rare that the perpetrators of such acts come to justice.…”

The Revival of Comparative Criminology in a Globalised World: Local Variances and Indigenous Over‐representation

“…Examples of racism enshrined in law are public order offences (like public drunkenness) affecting Aboriginal people disproportionately due to the public nature of Aboriginal life (Broadhurst 1987;Cunneen 2001). Further, mandatory sentencing laws, which exist in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, are most likely to affect Indigenous people convicted for trivial offences (Broadhurst 1997;Hogg 2001). More recently, there was the introduction of the Prohibited Behaviour Orders in Western Australia in 2010 which, at several levels, increase the risk of Indigenous people becoming the subject of it and entering the criminal justice system through a civil order (Crofts and Mitchell 2011).…”