Some Reflections on the Northern Territory’s Aboriginal Justice Agreement

Abstract

The Northern Territory Government’s flagship Indigenous justice policy is the Aboriginal Justice Agreement 2021-2027 (NTAJA). Such agreements have been found to make a positive difference in reducing Indigenous incarceration rates in other jurisdictions. Since the NTAJA was introduced, the Indigenous incarceration rate in the Northern Territory has increased. Even allowing for the fact that many variables affect the incarceration rate, I suggest some features of the NTAJA make it unsuitable for achieving a genuine reduction in the Indigenous incarceration rate. I reflect on the circumstances preceding, and immediately following, the introduction of the NTAJA. I examine the public preoccupation with youth crime in the Northern Territory and argue that the NTAJA’s lack of focus on youth, particularly on reducing youth detention rates, makes it unlikely to resolve the social tensions that stoke destructive “tough on crime” approaches to community safety.