Source: (2010) Research in Practice no. 13. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
It was proposed in the Second National Indigenous Justice Forum November 2006 background paper, Diversion: A Model for Reducing Indigenous Criminal Justice Over-representation (Victorian Department of Justice & Jones cited in Australian Human Rights Commission 2008) that there are five points for diverting Indigenous people from the criminal justice system, namely:
* prior to first contact with the police (eg through primary prevention programs that reduce risk factors and increase protection, such as cultural strengthening activities);
* during contact with law enforcement (eg police cautioning instead of arrest; referral to appropriate community services);
* during court processing (eg bail support programs with relevant service linkages, such as Koori Court/Circle Sentencing processes);
* after sentencing (eg community-based sentences with special conditions as an alternative to prison, offender rehabilitation programs in prisons and the community); and
* pre- and post-release (eg integrated pre-release transition and post-release support programs, including linkages to housing, health, employment and other essential services). (excerpt)
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