Get out of jail free card..
Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 2:17 am
ABORIGINAL criminals should have short prison terms automatically suspended or converted to community service or rehab programs, and their culture and disadvantage should be considered in mitigation during sentencing, the Bar Association has proposed.
The proposal, based on a call by District Court Judge Stephen Norrish for affirmative action in the courts, is contained in the association's criminal justice reform submission, released yesterday. It also calls for reform in dealing with mentally ill offenders and the introduction of sentence indication hearings.
Last year, Aborigines made up nearly 29 per cent of prison inmates in NSW, yet accounted for just over 2 per cent of the population. The number of Aboriginal prisoners in NSW rose 48 per cent from 2001 to 2008.
Advertisement: Story continues below Judge Norrish said in a paper to a recent justice reform conference: ''Unless acts of 'affirmative action' … are formally recognised, not only will the disproportionate number of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system continue, but it will increase, to this nation's greater shame.''
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/call-to-cut-a ... 18vi5.html