Amnesty Australia is echoing calls by many in the First Nations community advocating for a justice target to be included in the annual Close the Gap report.
Calls continue to bolster as next month will mark the 25th anniversary of the royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody.
The issue has proven to be controversial with some in the political arena opposing the idea, as well as the head of the Indigenous Advisory Council saying simply reducing how many people end up in prison doesn’t address crime.
Many advocates for justice targets, such as the New South Wales and ACT Aboriginal Legal Service say the target will hold the Government responsible for reducing imprisonment rates.
The principal legal officer to the North Australian Justice Agency, Jonathon Hunyor has previously stated, it’s about monitoring the progress rather than simply keeping people out of prison.
Amnesty’s Julian Cleary says not setting justice targets shows the government doesn’t want to be accountable for First Nations incarceration rates.
Amnesty are also calling for the royal commissions full list of the recommendations from 1991 to be implemented, considering most of the 339 recommendations still have not been taken on board nationally.
