Three per cent of NT Aboriginal population locked up: one of most incarcerated people in world

Three per cent of the NT’s total Aboriginal population started last week in a prison cell, as new figures reveal the impact of rising custody numbers.

The Corrections department confirmed that 2509 Indigenous people were in custody as of Monday June 30 — the equivalent of 3 per cent of the NT’s total Aboriginal population.

Indigenous Territorians are one of the most incarcerated people on the planet, with three percent of the total Aboriginal population starting the week in a prison cell.

The Corrections department confirmed that 2509 Indigenous people were in custody as of Monday June 30 — the equivalent of 3 per cent of the NT’s total population of Aboriginal men, women and children.

The Territory’s estimated 79,600 Indigenous people represent a third of its population, but made up 88 per cent of the total prison population.

There are 3152 Aboriginal people in prison per 100,000 people, almost double El Salvador’s total adult incarceration rates and more than five times the adult prison rates of Black Americans, according to the World Prison Brief and the U.S Bureau of Justice Statistics.

The ratio of Indigenous to non-Indigenous prisoners has not significantly changed over the past 12 months, however tough bail laws have resulted in the prison populations swelling to record breaking numbers, with 2850 people locked up.

There were nearly 500 more Aboriginal people in NT prisons on Monday compared to the same date last year, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics recording 2023 Indigenous Territorians in prison on June 30, 2024.

There were just 80 additional non-Indigenous prisoners compared to last year.

This Monday just under half of all Aboriginal prisoners were held on remand, with a series of tough bail laws appearing to disproportionately hit young people.

The rate of children being held in a cell on remand has spiked over 12 months leaving 83 per cent of kids in Holtze unsentenced as of Monday, compared to just 50 per cent in the final week of June 2024.

Criminal justice reform advocacy group, Justice not Jails said these figures “should send shockwaves across the country”, claiming that “racist policies had resulted in Indigenous Territorians becoming the most imprisoned population in the world”.

Justice not Jails member Natalie Hunter. Picture: Zizi Averill

“The CLP Government is shamefully locking up our people and targeting our children,” Nyikina woman Natalie Hunter said.

“How many more lives will the CLP put through the jailing machine before it realises what everyone else understands, that you have to invest in early intervention, prevention, and self-determination, and work together to create safer communities for everyone?”

Fellow JNJ member and Alyawarre-Luritja woman Chrystal Roberts called for reinvestment into alternatives to custody, Law and Justice Groups and community-based rehabilitation.

Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby, alongside Minister Robyn Cahill, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley after announcing the nation's "toughest bail laws". Picture: Darcy Fitzgerald

Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby was asked if she believed that bail laws passed under her government were disproportionately impacting Indigenous Territorians and young people.

“Our bail laws apply to everyone. Those who do the wrong thing will be held accountable, because we will always put the rights of victims above the rights of (alleged) offenders,” Ms Boothby said.

“The increase in remand numbers reflects our stronger bail laws, as more (alleged) offenders are now being held in custody instead of being released back into the community.”

Despite a spike in prison numbers since coming into government, Ms Boothby said she was still committing to honouring the bipartisan Aboriginal Justice Agreement target of reducing incarceration by 50 per cent by 2027.

“(This) has been years and decades in the making. We are all committed to this to make sure we reduce incarceration rates, especially for Aboriginal people, because the numbers are so high,” she said during Estimates.

Shadow Attorney-General Chansey Paech. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Shadow Attorney-General Chansey Paech said ‘tough’ bail laws had not addressed violent crime rates, and accused the government of being “unwilling to confront the real causes of crime failing to keep Territorians safe in the process”.

The latest NT Police data said in the four months between January and April there were 4181 reported offences against the person — murders, assaults, sexual offences and endangerment offences— 125 more cases compared to the previous year.

Over the same period there was a decrease in property offences, with 505 fewer thefts and property damage reports.

“The CLP Government is fuelling the next generation of violent offenders with its shortsighted, tough-on-crime rhetoric and hollow policies,” Mr Paech said.

“Only the CLP could lock more people up, gut rehabilitation services, and still act surprised when violent reoffending gets worse.”

Originally published as Three per cent of NT Aboriginal population locked up: one of most incarcerated people in world