Unfinished business: Koori women and the justice system Page 43

Chapter 4: Interaction with police 39

Chapter 4:

Interaction with police

Main findings

· Koories are much more likely to come into

contact with police than their non-Koori
counterparts.

· Over the last seven years, the number of

individual Koori female offenders processed by
Victoria Police has increased by 21 per cent.

213

· Koori women are most likely to be accused of

property crimes, the most common of which is
theft (shoplifting).

214

· Outstanding and multiple fines is a common

problem in Koori communities. A failure to
pay the fine or comply with conditions can
eventually result in imprisonment. As such, the
infringement system is another `gateway' for
Koori women into the criminal justice system.

The criminal justice system

The Victorian criminal justice system includes
Victoria Police, the Courts and Corrections
Victoria.

215

Each agency has its own set of

functions, roles and responsibilities. The next
two chapters provide an overview of the roles
and functions of each agency prior to a woman
entering prison, including diversionary options
where these are available.

It explores how barriers and limitations of the
justice system preprison entrench the pathway
to prison for Koori women. Barriers and failures in
non-justice systems also contribute to this pathway.

213

Information provided to the Commission by Victoria
Police, 26 July 2013.

214

Victoria Police, Crime Statistics 2011/12 (2012) 55.

215

The system also includes organisations and individual
legal practitioners for the defence, including the Victorian
Aboriginal Legal Service and Victoria Legal Aid.