Over-representation of Aboriginal people in New South Wales prisons “highest on record”

The Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) (ALS) and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) have released new data showing a “growing crisis of the imprisonment of Aboriginal people” in New South Wales which the government “cannot ignore”.

New figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) released on Tuesday show the proportion of Aboriginal people in prison is the highest on record. The number of Aboriginal people behind bars is also nearing record levels, following a brief reduction in numbers through the COVID pandemic.