INDIGENOUS OFFENDERS

For the 2007-08 reference period there were 3,064 Indigenous offenders aged 10 years and over, which represented 9% of the total offender population in South Australia. As at 30 June 2008, less than 2% of persons aged 10 years and over in South Australia were Indigenous.

Of the total male offenders, 8% were Indigenous and 52% were non-Indigenous. Of the total female offenders, 13% were Indigenous and 50% were non-Indigenous.

Caution should be exercised when comparing Indigenous and non-Indigenous data for certain offences. The total unknown Indigenous status for South Australian offenders was 40%. Most of this was attributable to the high level of unknowns for the following principal offences:

• illicit drugs (83%);
• public order (54%); and
• offences against justice (53%).

The high rates of unknown Indigenous status for these offences relates to the large number of penalty notices for these offence types. Indigenous status is not collected for penalty notices. Excluding the above offence divisions with high levels of unknown Indigenous status results in the proportion of the Indigenous offender population increasing from 9% to 15% in South Australia.

As with the overall offender population, acts intended to cause injury (37%) was the most prevalent principal offence for Indigenous offenders.

Indigenous persons had a higher rate of offending than non-Indigenous persons. For every 100,000 Indigenous persons aged 10 years and over there were 13,906 Indigenous offenders, compared to a rate of 1,283 non-Indigenous offenders per 100,000 non-Indigenous persons aged 10 years and over.


Repeat offenders

Indigenous offenders were, on average, proceeded against by police more often than non-Indigenous offenders during 2007-08 (2.2 times compared to 1.7 times respectively). Of the Indigenous offenders, 52% were proceeded against on one occasion during the 2007-08 reference period, while 11% had been proceeded against on five or more separate occasions.

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