The Oorala Research Seminar Series is a vehicle to host visiting speakers at Oorala. In recent years it has expanded to include the research and experiences of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander UNE students, staff and Community members. In the early decades of the Oorala Centre this ran as the Oorala Lecture Series and featured staff, Community members and visiting academics.
The Interplay Between Prejudice and Punitive Attitudes and its Impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
Presented by Caitlin Davey
11am - Tuesday 22 November - Oorala Aboriginal Centre
attend in person or Webinar Registration
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are heavily over-represented in the Criminal Justice System of Australia. Explanations for this are complex and multifactorial.
However, very little attention has been paid to the role of prejudice and, in particular, how preconceived perceptions from the wider community may shape and interplay with punitive attitudes towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders.
Leading research indicates that punitive attitudes are associated with racialized perceptions of crime and criminality, among other factors such as; political ideology, media consumption, perception of crime, fear of crime, belief in redeemability, crime causation, institutional distrust and interpersonal trust.
Drawing on a representative survey of the Australian public, this paper will examine the relationship between prejudice, lay theories of race, minority threat and punitive attitudes as it relates to a) views on crime causation; b) support for particular measures to deal with offenders; and c) perceptions on offender capacity to rehabilitate and reintegrate.
Taken together, the paper aims to fill a gap in the literature by providing an empirical and holistic understanding of the relationship between prejudice and punitiveness.
Caitlin Davey
UNE PhD Research Candidate
B, Crim (UNE), Grad Dip. Psyche. Adv (Deakin), B. Psyche (La Trobe)
Caitlin, a Biripi woman from the NSW mid-north coast, is completing her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the University of New England. Caitlin is an Research Associate at the University of New England’s Centre for Rural Criminology.
Caitlin has a background in Criminology and Psychological Science with firsthand experience working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians involved in the criminal justice system. These experiences and her cultural identity have led her to become passionate about advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and the issues that effect this population.
