Indigenous Australians Are the Most Incarcerated People on Earth

Indigenous Australians are the most incarcerated people on earth. They make up two percent of the general population, but a staggering 28 percent of the male prison population and 34 percent of the female prison population.

According to the Australian Law Reform Commission, the majority of indigenous female prisoners are survivors of domestic violence, family violence and sexual abuse. This trauma exacerbates the existing disadvantages faced by First Nations people.

In this episode of Violent Times, we interview Vicki Roach: a Yuin woman, academic, and prison abolitionist. She received her first criminal charges when she was just two years old, for ‘neglect by way of destitution.’

Over three decades, she has been in and out of jail, convicted 125 times. Her life is a testament to the systemic inequality and domestic violence that has contributed to the highest indigenous incarceration rate in the world, a life of hardship that Vickie channels into her work as a poet and activist.

Special Thanks to Dark + Dangerous Thoughts, Dark Mofo

If you're in a position to make a financial donation, these charities are working hard to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians:
Aboriginal Family Violence and Legal Service AIME Mentoring Black Rainbow Bush Mob Aboriginal Corporation Family Violence Prevention Legal Service First Nations Telegraph First Nations Deaths in Custody Watch Committee First Nations Workers Alliance Grandmothers Against Removals Gunawirra Hey Sis, we’ve got your back Indigenous Literacy Foundation IndigenousX SEED Sisters Inside SOS BLAK AUSTRALIA The Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency Wangan and Jagalingou Family Council Wunan WAR: Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance
Yirra Yaakin