Criminology Research Council grant ; (C02/06-07)
This study was motivated by a concern that Indigenous juvenile offenders were not receiving the benefits of diversionary schemes. Previous research had suggested that Indigenous offenders are diverted at a significantly lower rate than non-Indigenous offenders. This research, however, had not compared rates of diversion after adjusting for offender characteristics and other factors that can be taken into account when making the decision to divert.
The aim of the present study was to assess how much of the difference in rates of diversion between Indigenous and non-Indigenous offenders remained after these factors had been taken into account. In pursuit of this aim, a series of logistic regression models were developed to see whether the likelihood of diversion was influenced by an individual's Indigenous status, after controlling for a range of offence and offender characteristics. Diversion was modelled as both a dichotomous variable (diversion/non-diversion) and as an ordered variable (in order: Caution, Conference, Court). The data to construct the models was obtained from Western Australia (WA), South Australia (SA) and New South Wales (NSW). Diversion was defined as either a police or court referred conference or a formal police caution. Non-diversion was defined as a court appearance.