Race, Ethnicity, Crime and Justice

This subject examines the historical, social and political forces shaping contemporary relationships between the criminal justice system and racialised populations. It utilises criminological and social theories and research to explore the common and distinct factors contributing to the disproportionate criminal justice contact experienced by a range of racialised populations across the world, including Aboriginal communities, as well as by migrant and refugee communities in Australia and other parts of the globe. We will also consider the impacts of criminalisation, race and colonisation in both colonial and ‘post-colonial’ societies. The subject further evaluates some of the key attempts criminal justice agencies have made to improve their relationship with certain racialised populations, identifying and analysing the conditions under which practices such as police-community building initiatives, specialist Indigenous courts, and culturally specific prison programs have emerged, and asking students to consider the tensions and limitations that remain within these responsive practices.