Lessons not learned from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
September 2016
Professor Thalia Anthony discussed the high incarceration rates of indigenous Australians. After the Don Dale expose by Four Corners, after the replacement of a High Commissioner, after an election that has seen the decimation of the Giles government in the Northern Territory, and as another investigation into the treatment of Aboriginal youth in custody is about to begin, what, if anything, have Australians and their governments learned, and can we, finally, hope that things will change?
We are privileged to hear Thalia Anthony’s perspective. Her research is grounded in legal history and understandings of the colonial legacy in legal institutions. She has developed new approaches to researching and understanding the role of the criminal law in governing Indigenous communities and how the state regulates Indigenous-based justice strategies. Her research is informed by fieldwork in Indigenous communities and partnerships with Indigenous legal organisations in Australia and overseas.
Dr Anthony’s scholarship is published in a number of books, including her influential monograph, Indigenous People, Crime and Punishment (Routledge 2013) and a forthcoming book with Professor Harry Blagg, Decolonising Criminology (Palgrave 2016). She has strong connections with justice and advocacy groups, including UTS’ Jumbunna and Aboriginal legal services, and regularly provides expert opinion in the media and public debates.
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