Evidence-based Indigenous Justice Policy

Presentation to Canberra Evaluation Forum

Roger Wilkins AO

16 February 2012

“They [policy makers] will and must make decisions based on whatever information they have available to

them – information that often is little more than folklore, war stories, or a single, spectacular,

high-profile, and possibly random event.”

Snyder, Howard N., ‘Socially responsible Criminology: Quality relevant research with targeted, effective dissemination’ in Criminology & Public Policy, Vol 10, Issue 2, p207-215

Building Blocks

Early Child Development

Education and Training

Healthy Lives Economic

Participation Home

Environment

Safe and Supportive

Communities

Governance and

Leadership

Targets

Life Expectancy:

Close the life expectancy gap within a generation.

Young Child Mortality

Halve the gap in mortality rates for children under

five within a decade.

Reading, Writing and Numeracy

Halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy

within a decade.

Employment

Halve the gap in employment outcomes

within a decade.

Early Childhood Education

Access to early childhood education, within five

years, for all Indigenous four year olds

Year 12 Attainment

At least halve the gap in year 12 attainment or equivalent attainment

rates by 2020.

Closing the Gap in Indigenous Disadvantage

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Family violence related assault

% o

f al

l ho

spit

alis

atio

ns

for

assa

ult

Non-fatal Hospitalisations for assault

Indigenous

Non-Indigenous

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Females seeking accomodation to escape family violence

Rat

e p

er

10

00

ad

ult

s

Indigenous

Non-Indigenous

Alcohol and violence

• A 2010 study by the Australian Institute of Criminology suggests that alcohol is regarded as one, if not the, primary risk factor for violence in Indigenous communities.

(Wundersitz, J. 2010 Indigenous perpetrators of violence: Prevalence and risk factors for offending, AIC Reports , Research and Public Policy Series 105, 43.)

• Of the total recorded homicides between 1999-2000 and 2008-09, 71.4% of Indigenous homicides involved both the victim and offender having consumed alcohol at the time of the offences, compared with 24.7% of non-Indigenous homicides.

Alcohol involvement in Indigenous and non-Indigenous homicides, total recorded 1999-2000 to 2008-09, in SCRGSP

(Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision) 2011, Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2011, Productivity Commission, Canberra.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Violent Offences Unlawful entry with intent Offences against justice procedures

% Indigenous incarceration by offence category (A B S • P R I S O N E R S I N A U S T R A L I A • 4 5 1 7 . 0 • 2 0 1 1)

Indigenous Non-Indigenous

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

NSW Vic Qld WA SA NT ACT Tas Australia

Age Standardised imprisonment rates Per 100,000 adult population

Indigenous Non-Indigenous

Current Number of Indigenous Prisoners

7372 Projected if rate remains at

2010 levels 10131

Projected by 2021 if rate continues to increase as it

has for past 10 years 13558

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

11000

12000

13000

14000

15000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Projected Indigenous Prison Numbers 2009-2021

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Prisoners, by prior imprisonment

Pe

rce

nt

%

Indigenous

Non-Indigenous

Integrated Prisoner

throughcare

Alcohol Management

Planning

Community policing

Multi-systemic therapy

Cognitive-behavioural

therapy

• More evaluations focus on process than outcomes. Focus

• Too many evaluations conducted internally. Independence

• Findings of evaluations not made public. Availability

• Evaluations focus on programs that don’t address violence. Targeting

• Lack of balance between theoretical and experimental methods Methods

Private investors

Service Providers Social Impact Bond issuing organisation

Government

1. Working Capital

2. Funding for operating costs

4. Repayments and ROI from performance based payments

3. Performance based payments

The Social Impact Bond Model

Private money

Public money

Evaluations under the National Indigenous Law and Justice Framework

Trial of Community Engagement Police Officers

Work to improve Corrections data sets