Indigenous Courts, Culture and Partner Violence

Description

This book examines the use and impact of Australian Indigenoussentencing courts in response to Indigenous partner violence. In operation in Australia since 1999, these courts were first established by a magistrate in South Australia who sought to improve court communication and understanding, and trust in the criminal justice system for Indigenous people. Indigenous Courts, Culture and Partner Violence is the first book to consider how the transformation of a sentencing process into one that better reflects Indigenous cultural values can improve outcomes for both victims and offenders of Indigenous partner violence. It asks which aspects of the sentencing process are most important in influencing a change in attitude and behaviour of Indigenous offenders who repeatedly engage in abusive behaviour towards their partner, and what types of justice process better meets the relationship, rehabilitative and safety needs of Indigenous partner violence offenders and their victims? Marchetti examines the adaptation of a formal sentencing process to make it more culturally meaningful when responding to Indigenous partner violence, and gauges victim and offender views about how the court process has affected their lives and relationships, and elicits their views of violence within their communities. This innovative work will be of great interest to academics, researchers, policy makers, police, lawyers, family violence service providers and students. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Introduction (Elena Marchetti)....Pages 1-12 Partner Violence—Global, Legal and Indigenous Perspectives (Elena Marchetti)....Pages 13-30 Indigenous and Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Courts (Elena Marchetti)....Pages 31-52 Indigenous Sentencing Courts in Two Australian States (Elena Marchetti)....Pages 53-76 The Role of Elders and Community Representatives and How It Impacts on Perceptions of Justice (Elena Marchetti)....Pages 77-99 Couples Who Stayed Together (Elena Marchetti)....Pages 101-124 Couples Who Separated (Elena Marchetti)....Pages 125-148 De-colonising ‘What Works’ (Elena Marchetti)....Pages 149-169 Back Matter ....Pages 171-214