Closing the (incarceration) gap: assessing the socio-economic and clinical indicators of indigenous males by lifetime incarceration status

Abstract

Background: Approximately 1 in 5 to 1 in 6 Indigenous Australian males are currently imprisoned or have previously been imprisoned. Recent work has also pointed to a widening socioeconomic gap within the Indigenous population. Given the myriad social, wellbeing and environmental risk factors associated with justice-involvement, it is conceivable that incarceration may contribute to the increasing disparities found within the Indigenous population. This study aimed to explore the presence and extent of an 'incarceration gap' within the Indigenous population and to uncover which social factors characterise the disparity. Methods: The study utilised data from the 2014-5 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS). A number of socioeconomic , environmental and clinical factors were compared by lifetime incarceration status. Chi-square tests were used to examine the association between incarceration status and each of the comparison variables. Results: Disparities were observed within the Indigenous Australian population across a number of important health and socioeconomic markers by incarceration status-the most pronounced being for educational obtainmentyear 10 completion (Never incarcerated 73%, Ever incarcerated 50%), labour force participation (Never incarcerated 56%, Ever incarcerated 26%) and drug/alcohol problems (Never incarcerated 7%, Ever incarcerated 29%). Never-incarcerated Indigenous males yielded aggregate proportions across numerous variables that approximated or matched general Australian population estimates. Conclusions: There appears to be evidence for a substantial 'incarceration gap' within the Indigenous Australian population.

Operationalising Indigenous data sovereignty in environmental research and governance

“…Historical colonisation and contemporary settler-colonialism have created systems, structures and processes that marginalise, discriminate and oppress Indigenous peoples (Alfred and Corntassel, 2005; Veracini, 2011; Wolfe, 2006). These systems of marginalisation, discrimination and oppression are observed in many parts of society such as the high rates of Indigenous incarceration (Shepherd et al, 2020), poverty, homelessness and removal of children (Bradford, 2020), and low rates of educational attainment, home ownership, economic participation and political representation (Altman et al, 2008; Bishop, 2021; Campbell et al, 2012; Houkamau and Sibley, 2015). Many of these features are shared by Indigenous peoples internationally in settler states such as Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States, suggesting that these phenomena are connected in a larger colonial project designed to control Indigenous peoples’ lands, and disempower them to respond (Alfred and Corntassel, 2005; Wolfe, 2006).…”