Take a Stand Against Deaths In Custody
An investigation by The Guardian last year exposed over 400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1989.1
The report finds many of these deaths in custody were entirely preventable and uncovered the shocking disparity between the treatment of First Nations people compared to non-indigenous peoples, with a significantly higher number of First Nations people dying from treatable medical conditions and being denied adequate and timely care.2
An unpaid fine should never warrant a death sentence – but with over 147 deaths in the last decade alone it's clear the death toll is rising.3
We need broad sweeping change, but first we need to hold all State governments to account with an independent audit of the Royal Commission's recommendations. Sign the petition calling for action to prevent further deaths in custody.
The report finds many of these deaths in custody were entirely preventable and uncovered the shocking disparity between the treatment of First Nations people compared to non-indigenous peoples, with a significantly higher number of First Nations people dying from treatable medical conditions and being denied adequate and timely care.2
An unpaid fine should never warrant a death sentence – but with over 147 deaths in the last decade alone it's clear the death toll is rising.3
We need broad sweeping change, but first we need to hold all State governments to account with an independent audit of the Royal Commission's recommendations. Sign the petition calling for action to prevent further deaths in custody.
Since the handing down of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in Custody findings and recommendations, successive State and Federal governments have failed or refused to implement the recommendations.4
Over this time the rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration has skyrocketed – making Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people one of the most incarcerated populations of people anywhere in the world.
Peoples who make up less than 3% of the Australian population make up 27% of our prison population.
Your race does not make you more likely to commit a crime. Experts have found that Aboriginal people are often incarcerated for minor offences and are unfairly targeted under regimes like mandatory sentencing in the Northern Territory and other states which is rolled out across many remote communities and areas with high Aboriginal populations.
Victims' families, Indigenous Communities, Activists and Leaders have been calling for more than two decades for the recommendations of the Royal Commision to be implemented in order to stop deaths in custody.
Sign the petition calling for action to prevent further deaths in custody.
Over this time the rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration has skyrocketed – making Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people one of the most incarcerated populations of people anywhere in the world.
Peoples who make up less than 3% of the Australian population make up 27% of our prison population.
Your race does not make you more likely to commit a crime. Experts have found that Aboriginal people are often incarcerated for minor offences and are unfairly targeted under regimes like mandatory sentencing in the Northern Territory and other states which is rolled out across many remote communities and areas with high Aboriginal populations.
Victims' families, Indigenous Communities, Activists and Leaders have been calling for more than two decades for the recommendations of the Royal Commision to be implemented in order to stop deaths in custody.
Sign the petition calling for action to prevent further deaths in custody.
References:
[1] 'The 147 dead: terrible toll of Indigenous deaths in custody spurs calls for reform', The Guardian, 28 August 2018.
[2] We examined every Indigenous death in custody since 2008. This is why, The Guardian, 28 August 2018
[3] Deaths Inside: Indigenous Australian deaths in custody, The Guardian, 28 August 2018
[4] Deaths in custody: 25 years after the royal commission, we've gone backwards, The Conversation, 13 April 2016
[5] Indigenous deaths in custody worsen in year of tracking by Deaths Inside project, The Guardian, 23 August 2019
Photo Credit: The Guardian
[1] 'The 147 dead: terrible toll of Indigenous deaths in custody spurs calls for reform', The Guardian, 28 August 2018.
[2] We examined every Indigenous death in custody since 2008. This is why, The Guardian, 28 August 2018
[3] Deaths Inside: Indigenous Australian deaths in custody, The Guardian, 28 August 2018
[4] Deaths in custody: 25 years after the royal commission, we've gone backwards, The Conversation, 13 April 2016
[5] Indigenous deaths in custody worsen in year of tracking by Deaths Inside project, The Guardian, 23 August 2019
Photo Credit: The Guardian
ADD YOUR VOICE
424 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. 5
After successive government failings, it’s clear we need an audit of the Royal Commission's recommendations.
Sign the petition now demanding the Federal Government take action.
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