Pathways to justice

The chapter summarises the evidence of disproportionate incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. It then discusses two key recent developments which highlight Indigenous democracy as central to addressing disproportionate Indigenous imprisonment rates and the generally destructive impact of the criminal justice system on Indigenous communities and people. The central argument is that social and criminal justice policies must be fashioned in terms of Indigenous democracy, a term used as shorthand for issues of Indigenous governance, empowerment, self- determination and nation building.