Aboriginal Over-Representation in Australian Prisons: A Continuing Crisis
- Brian AJ Newman, LLB

- Jun 3, 2025
- 6 min read
At NATSICAS, we acknowledge and address the profound issue of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander over-representation in Australia’s prison systems. Despite ongoing advocacy and numerous government commitments, Aboriginal incarceration rates remain a critical human rights concern, as reflected in both the landmark 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) and the authoritative 2012 report, Monitoring and Oversight of Human Rights in Closed Environments (Naylor et al., 2012).