New Life Skills Camp Offers Prison Alternative for Central Australian Aboriginal Women

NT Government

Attorney-General Selena Uibo will today officially open a new Life Skills Camp in Alice Springs, an alternative to prison for Aboriginal women that will deliver targeted rehabilitation to reduce recidivism.

The Alternatives to Custody model is a key strategy from the draft Aboriginal Justice Agreement.

This new residential facility, the first of its kind to open in the Northern Territory, provides police, courts and correctional services a sentencing alternative for Aboriginal female offenders.

It will be available for stays of up to six months and women will receive targeted rehabilitation based on cultural values and leadership.

The Life Skills Camp’s tailored rehabilitation services will:

  • address the underlying causes of offending.
  • build resilience, restore self-esteem and provide an environment where participants can learn to control impulses and foster positive routines and behaviours.
  • prepare participants for successful reintegration in their town or community.

The Alice Springs Alternatives to Custody model is a partnership between NT government agencies and Aboriginal controlled organisations that will be trialled for 18 months.

As stated by Attorney-General Selena Uibo.

“Aboriginal women are imprisoned at 14 times the rate of non-Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory and represent 84 per cent of the female prison population.

“These rates are unacceptably high and must be addressed.

“The Territory Labor Government is investing in initiatives such as this new Life Skills Camp in Alice Springs to break the cycle of crime and reduce reoffending.

“The majority of Aboriginal women in Northern Territory prisons are mothers.

“It is important these women have access to targeted and tailored rehabilitation services that enable them to address the underlying causes of their offending and turn their lives around.”

/Public Release. View in full here.