“Justice Programs for Aboriginal and Other Indigenous Communities – Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.”

Source: (1985) Proceedings, Aboriginal Criminal Justice Workshop. No 1, 29 April to 2 May. Phillip Act, AUS: Australian Institute of Criminology, 320p.

Papers pertaining to legal problems in Australian Aboriginal communities discuss the impact of colonialization on the physical and mental health of Aborigines and the relation of the latter to Aboriginal crime, Aboriginal self-determination in justice matters, Aboriginal legal services, and the impact of incarceration on Aboriginals. Three papers discuss programs to improve police-Aboriginal relationships in various Australian regions. Five papers consider the involvement of indigenous populations in local social control through such entities as village courts and native tribunals, which resolve some disputes through native representatives who reflect local customs in their decisionmaking. The programs described are in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand. A Canadian study critiques a national study of the disproportionate involvement of native people in the criminal justice system. Papers describing community regulation programs in Australia pertain to projects that increase the involvement of Aboriginals in the local administration of criminal justice. Future planning needs and research issues are reviewed. Appendixes contain the enabling legislation for some of the programs described.