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VICE INTL

What Life Is Like as a Night-Shift Worker Looking After Australia's Incarcerated Aboriginals

VICE Australia spent a night with a woman who plays a crucial role in protecting the legal rights of Aboriginal people who've gotten arrested.

In Australia, Client Service Officers (CSOs) are responsible for checking in on the wellbeing of every Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander taken into custody within Victoria and Tasmania. Established in response to Australia's deplorable record of Indigenous incarceration, the service is a vital measure in the prevention of Aboriginal deaths in custody. But when it comes to after-hours care, there's only one CSO on duty at a time.

VICE Australia spent a night shift with Elva, a 28-year-old CSO and proud Indigenous woman. Over the course of 12 hours, we watched Elva make dozens of calls to police stations in order to carry out her crucial role. It's a heavy responsibility, but Elva's sense of justice—and the compassion she feels for her people—keeps her committed to her task.