Decolonising Sentencing Narratives

• In Event: Equality and Bias in the Sentencing Process

Abstract

Criminal sentencing in the West has been framed by risk metrics, deficit assumptions and systemic racism. In Australia, First Nations people are routinely classified as high risk based on measures relating to criminal history and nature of the offence. These measures purport to be objective but conceal the racism and classism in the policing and criminalisation processes. The presentation draws on research findings arising from a collaboration with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service that established Aboriginal Community Justice Reports in sentencing. These reports are written by and for First Nations people in order to centre their stories, including their experiences of ongoing colonisation, the impact of genocide on their communities and the ongoings strengths of their community and cultural connections. They identify the role of racism in the criminal law system and seek to promote options that involve reintegration, cultural responses and First Nations community engagement.

Author

• Thalia Anthony, University of Technology Sydney