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Maloney, J. --- "The Aboriginal Community Service Program S.A." [1990] AboriginalLawB 30; (1990) 1(45) Aboriginal Law Bulletin 6


The Aboriginal Community Service Program S.A.

by J. Maloney

Introduction

The South Australian Department of Correctional Services has a commitment to remedy the over-representation of Aboriginal people in custody by tailoring programs, such as community service in the metropolitan areas of Adelaide, to the cultural needs of Aboriginal people. This program strives to provide courts with a credible sentencing alternative to imprisonment.

Rationale

Background

Statistics obtained from the operation of community service programs since 1982, have shown that Aboriginal people comprised 15.6% of those sentenced to community service, whilst they comprised 24% of the prison population.[1] In proportion to their population, Aboriginal people are ten times overrepresented in the prison population.[2]

A measure for the success of community service orders is whether the offender completes the work hours without the necessity of breach actions.

Aboriginal people sentenced to community service had a breach rate 12% higher than that for non Aboriginals.[3]

Cultural Issues

Various ways were examined to make community service programs more relevant to Aboriginal people. Information provided by probation officers, community service officers and leaders in the Aboriginal community indicated that CSO's could be made more appropriate and relevant by addressing the culturally specific issues affecting Aboriginal offenders.

For Aboriginal people facing the stresses of cultural difference in a predominantly Anglo environment, completion of the community service hours was infrequent.

An innovative and specialised approach to CSO's for Aboriginal people was devised in 1986. Work placements in projects were to be more attuned to Aboriginal peoples' own surroundings. Placements were developed within the Aboriginal community. Such placements are beneficial because the offenders are more likely to be able to identify readily with the aims of the project and hence will be more likely to regularly attend and involve themselves.

This CSO program has been drawn to the attention of the magistracy and Aboriginal Legal Rights organisations to facilitate an increase in the number of Aboriginal people sentenced to CSO's.

Discussion

The program commenced as a pilot project from the Norwood Office in January 1987. This office is centrally located and was preferred to that of Port Adelaide because of lower work loads and the capacity to absorb the additional work burden.

From October 1988, staffing gains made it feasible to transfer the administration of the program to the Port Adelaide Office. This has led to a sustained growth of the program. Ten percent of the population of the Port Adelaide council area is Aboriginal.[4] During the early period of operation 60% of Aboriginal persons on the program resided in the Port Adelaide district office area.[5]

The Port Adelaide Experience

The principal features of a specialised Community Service Program for Aboriginal persons are:

The positive results of this program will impact on the magistracy's willingness to utilise CSO's as a sentencing option for Aboriginal people. As at July 1990, the number of Aboriginal people on the program were as follows:


Community service
Option fine
Total
Male
45
16
61
Female
2
6
8
Total
47
22
69

The program has been consolidated and an Aboriginal Community Service officer, Mr Phillip Clark, was appointed in January 1990 to manage and co-ordinate the program.


[1] Research and Planning Unit, Statistics, SA. Department of Correctional Services

[2] 'Trends and Issue; No: 13 Aboriginal Criminal Justice'. Australian Institute of Criminology, May, 1988

[3] Research and Planning Unit, Statistics, SA. Department of Correctional Services

[4] 1986 Australian Census

[5] Report by Ms B Habel Manager Norwood District Office, January 1988


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