RR Phantom
Location : Wasted Space
Job/hobbies : Cayman Islands Actuary
 |  Subject: OZschwitz: Aboriginal circle sentencing not effective: study  Thu Jul 17, 2008 5:27 pm | |
| THE much-vaunted circle-sentencing scheme does not reduce the risk of Aborigines reoffending, new research shows, forcing the State Government to admit its alternative sentencing court needs to be overhauled.
A NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research report released yesterday showed that offenders were no less likely to reoffend than if they were sentenced in a normal court and usually reoffended less than 15 months after their "circle".
Circle sentencing covers minor offences such as common assault or driving breaches and involves offenders sitting in a circle with their victims and discussing an appropriate punishment with a magistrate and tribal elders.
Despite the findings, the bureau director, Dr Don Weatherburn, said the program should be strengthened but not abandoned. "Giving Aboriginal elders direct involvement in the sentencing of Aboriginal offenders encourages offenders to critically reflect upon their behaviour," he said.
"Personal reflection on its own, however, is not enough to reduce the risk of reoffending; offenders also need to be given opportunities to address the factors that get them involved in crime, particularly drug and alcohol abuse."
The Attorney-General, John Hatzistergos, said more work on the $1 million program was obviously needed.
"While the Government remains a strong supporter of an alternative sentencing program for Aboriginal people, the evaluations are a timely indication that the program needs to be strengthened," he said.
The report was released on the same day as the Minister for Police, David Campbell, announced a new plan to offer rewards of up to $5000 for the reporting of sexual exploitation of Aboriginal children.
The plan, an idea from the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, was presented to Mr Campbell following reports this year that Aboriginal children in Moree and Boggabilla were having sex with truck drivers for money.
"Everybody was saying nobody said anything about the issue in Moree, so we went to the minister and said something needed to be done," the council's chief executive, Geoff Scott, said.
The Government would match the council's $30,000 for payment of the rewards, Mr Campbell said.
LNK
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CovOps
 Location : Ether-Sphere
Job/hobbies : Irrationality Exterminator
Humor : Über Serious
| | Subject: Re: OZschwitz: Aboriginal circle sentencing not effective: study Thu Jul 17, 2008 10:37 pm | |
| Important identification... especially in relation to the imbecilic idea of just shunning evildoers... the nonsense doesn't work, period!
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Anarcho-Capitalist, AnCaps Forum, Ancapolis, OZschwitz Contraband
“The state calls its own violence law, but that of the individual, crime.”-- Max Stirner
"Remember: Evil exists because good men don't kill the government officials committing it." -- Kurt Hofmann |
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