Driving Offences & Incarceration Rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Queensland Our submission will focus on a specific key driver of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration rates in Queensland: custodial sentences for driving offences. The first section will highlight statistics that indicate the strong incidence of driving offences (including driving without a licence, driving unregistered and/or non-roadworthy vehicles) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly from rural and remote areas, and will show how laws governing transport, traffic, and licensing in Queensland bear disproportionate effects on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The second section will examine some of the specific barriers faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in relation to licence participation, namely: Learner licence driving schemes; Rural to urban driving realities; Culturally appropriate educational resources and licensing systems; and Perceptions of obtaining and maintaining a driver licence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The third section of our submission will examine how court sentencing procedures are contributing to the increasing rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in custody. It will address some key cultural and language barriers within Queensland courts, and introduce alternative approaches to sentencing, including therapeutic jurisprudence
Driving Offences & Incarceration Rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Queensland Our submission will focus on a specific key driver of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration rates in Queensland: custodial sentences for driving offences. The first section will highlight statistics that indicate the strong incidence of driving offences (including driving without a licence, driving unregistered and/or non-roadworthy vehicles) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, particularly from rural and remote areas, and will show how laws governing transport, traffic, and licensing in Queensland bear disproportionate effects on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The second section will examine some of the specific barriers faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in relation to licence participation, namely: Learner licence driving schemes; Rural to urban driving realities; Culturally appropriate educational resources and licensing systems; and Perceptions of obtaining and maintaining a driver licence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The third section of our submission will examine how court sentencing procedures are contributing to the increasing rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in custody. It will address some key cultural and language barriers within Queensland courts, and introduce alternative approaches to sentencing, including therapeutic jurisprudence
04._r_curtis_m_gunawan_s_lord_and_k_taylor.docx