Indigenous incarceration rates have jumped 20 per cent since 2019

The rate of First Nations people being jailed has increased by twenty per cent since 2019, according to new data from Closing the Gap. 

It means for every 100,000 prisoners in Australia, around 2300 are Indigenous. That’s up from 1900 in 2019.  

Hear more from today’s headlines on The Briefing:

The rise comes despite state, territory and federal governments agreeing to reduce rates of Indigenous incarceration by fifteen per cent by 2031.  
 
The data also revealed a three per cent rise in First Nations children in out-of-home care in the last five years.

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap has nineteen socio-economic targets to improve life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  

Among them are health, education, employment, improved access to information and culture.  
 
While internet access and native title gains have improved, advocacy groups are warning “tough on crime” approaches in some Australian jurisdictions are having negative impacts.  
 
Overall, the data shows four targets are on track to be met, six targets have shown improvement, while four are actually worsening. 

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