Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are over-represented in Australia¿s criminal justice system as both perpetrators and victims. Nationally, the indigenous rate of imprisonment is approximately 11 times that of the non-Indigenous population. Twice as many Indigenous Australians are victims of physical or threatened violence compared with non-Indigenous Australians. Family violence, substance abuse, unemployment, sexual assault and neighbourhood conflict have reached epidemic levels in some remote Indigenous communities. As contact with law enforcement both reflects and leads to social, cultural and economic disadvantage, solutions need to be found to break the cycle. What are some constructive approaches to addressing Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system? Does customary law have a part to play in healing communities, resolving disputes and restoring law and order, and in turn reducing the high rates of incarceration and victimisation?Chapter 1: Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice SystemChapter 2: Indigenous Violence and AbuseGlossary; Facts and Figures; Additional Resources; Index