evidence to the Aboriginal Justice Forum
to support the implementation of culturally
appropriate diversion programs for Koori women.
Koori women within the justice system with an
emphasis on women's experience of custody. Our
aim was to understand the impact that prison has
on Koori women, their children, the family and the
community, using equality and human rights as the
lens, and to use this to inform the development of
diversionary options.
to speak to Koori women about their experiences
of prison and their views about the services and
support they need. We also sought the views of
services that work with Koori women in the justice
system.
the criminal justice system
Justice Human Research Ethics Committee.
Koori women who had experienced incarceration.
We conducted four focus group interviews with
women from the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre. These
conversations were conducted in collaboration
with the Aboriginal Wellbeing Officer at the Dame
Phyllis Frost Centre.
interviews with female prisoners and with Koori
women who had left prison.
and HomeGround Services to recruit voluntary
participants for case study interviews and
focus groups.
prison, their relationships and the circumstances
that led to their imprisonment. They were asked
about the impact that prison had on their lives and
their family. They were also asked for their views on
services they had accessed and on what makes a
service feel culturally safe.
stories published and approved the text included in
this report.
who work with Koori women, in or outside the
justice system. We also interviewed key individuals
who have researched or worked with Koori women
in the justice system. These 15 key informants are
listed in Appendix 1.
with Koori women before, during, or after prison,
their perceptions of Koori women's experiences
in prison, their observations of the profile of
Koori women in prison and their views on existing
services and diversionary programs.
data and information relating to Koori women's
contact with the justice system by agencies
including the KJU, the Sentencing Advisory
Council, FVPLS and VALS.
Bureau of Statistics' National Prisoner Census and
from data presented by Corrections Victoria to
the Aboriginal Justice Forum in November 2012,
February and July 2013. Two types of information
were examined: data representing snapshots in
time (stock) as well as those representing change
over time (flow). Most of the publically available
data were stock data, however where possible,
flow data were also used.
available to Koori women before, during and after
prison in order to map available services and
identify gaps. This list of services can be found at
Appendix 2.
in relation Koori women's experiences in the justice
system. Key texts identified in this review are listed
at Appendix 3.