Building effective throughcare strategies for Indigenous offenders

Aboriginal overrepresentation in the criminal justice system is a longstanding characteristic of the Australian penal landscape. The high Indigenous imprisonment rate is strongly related to the high rate of recidivism of Indigenous offenders. Therefore, the transition of Indigenous peoples back into the community after release is crucial.

This research project aims to develop effective throughcare strategies for Indigenous offenders, starting from a community-led approach. The research is based on interviews with men and women in communities in the Kimberley (WA), Darwin, the Tiwi Islands and Alice Springs (NT), as well as with their service providers.

The interviews are transcribed, analysed with NVivo software, and consulted on with Indigenous peoples, with the resulting research assisting our recommendations for developing effective throughcare strategies.

This project is led by Associate Professor Hilde Tubex and Professor Harry Blagg from UWA, and Associate Professor John Rynne, Director Youth Forensic Service, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University. It has received funding from the Australian Institute of Criminology.