Overview
This foundational unit provides you with the knowledge and skills to work effectively within Indigenous contexts of the Criminal Justice System. This unit responds to the over-representation of Indigenous Australians within the criminal justice system, as offenders and as victims. You will discuss the impact of invasion and economic disenfranchisement on individuals and communities and explain systemic responses in policing, courts and corrections. Through the curriculum, you will be equipped with the skills and expertise to work toward sustainable societies that respond to inclusiveness based on respect for human rights, the rule of law and good governance. This unit explores the position of Indigenous Australians before the Western justice system and provides you with the attributes that allow you to be an active citizen engaged in reconciliation and social justice for Indigenous Australians.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Anectdotal; UC reflection
Learning from assessments
The workbook task should be revisited to evaluate whether it meets the key objectives of the unit and is challenging enough for students. Consideration should be given to a more robust task wherein a broader distribution of skills and knowledge could be assessed.
Feedback from UC reflection
Inclusion of First Nations representatives
The unit has consistently delivered high student evaluation scores without the inclusion of First Nations voices directly during workshops (this are provided via secondary sources, such as documentaries). However, now that the baseline currculum has been established, the unit could be elevated further by engaging with Indigenous voices directly during workshops to provide students with insight from those with lived experience.
- Critique the connections between the criminal justice system, health, mental health and poverty, particularly for Indigenous Australian youth
- Critically reflect on current strategies that aim to improve relations between Indigenous Australians and criminal justice agencies
- Discuss the impact of historical and contemporary approaches to criminal justice on Indigenous Australians
- Discuss theories of colonialism and post-colonialism as they pertain to contemporary Australian justice issues
- Communicate using fundamental Indigenous Australian cultural competency.
No external accreditation is relevant to this award.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | |||||
| 3 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books - 30% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 20% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books - 30% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
r.hale@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to unit
Chapter
Cunneen, C. & Tauri, J. (2016). Introduction. In Indigenous Criminology, Policy Press, Bristol, pp. 1-22. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cqu/reader.action?docID=4584969&ppg=12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The history wars
Chapter
Brantlinger, P. (2004). Black Armband? versus? White Blindfold? History in Australia. Victorian Studies, 46(4), 655–674. https://doi.org/10.2979/VIC.2004.46.4.655
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
First Nations disadvantage in Australia
Chapter
Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision (2020). Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2020. Australian Productivity Commission: Canberra. Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2020 - Report (pc.gov.au)
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The law and Indigenous Australians
Chapter
Behrendt, L. (2021). Chapter 26: Ten Key Legal Decisions (Plus One to Keep an Eye On). In Indigenous Australia for Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, pp. 469-475. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cqu/reader.action?docID=6498786&ppg=489
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law (2020). What is the Northern Territory Intervention? The Northern Territory Intervention: An Evaluation, pp. 7-9. https://www.monash.edu/law/research/centres/castancentre/our-areas-of-work/indigenous/the-northern-territory-intervention/the-northern-territory-intervention-an-evaluation/what-is-the-northern-territory-intervention
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Indigenous Australians and the police
Chapter
Blagg, H. & Anthony, T. (2019). Postcolonial Criminology: “The Past Isn’t Over…” In Decolonising Criminology: Imagining Justice in a Postcolonial World, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 31-54. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cqu/reader.action?docID=5983950&ppg=47
Cunneen, C. (2020). The Torment of our Powerlessness: Police Violence Against Aboriginal People in Australia. Harvard International Review. https://hir.harvard.edu/police-violence-australia-aboriginals/
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz opens
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Quiz closes
Online Quiz Due: Vacation Week Monday (18 Aug 2025) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
First Nations peoples and access to justice
Chapter
Corrigan, .(2018). Aboriginal justice: Major report makes key access to justice recommendations to reduce indigenous incarceration. Bulletin (Law Society of South Australia), 40(3), 34–36.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Indigenous Australians and the corrections system
Chapter
Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1991). Chapter 1: Overview. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/rciadic/national/vol1/
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Indigenous child welfare and Youth Justice in Australia
Chapter
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (1997). Chapter 2: National Overview. Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families. https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/bringing-them-home-chapter-2
Healey, J. (Ed.) (2019). Chapter 3: Indigenous Youth Detention. In Healey, J. Indigenous People and Criminal Justice. Issues in Society Vol. 445, Spinney Press, pp. 38-52. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cqu/reader.action?docID=5846447&ppg=43
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Indigenous Australians as victims of crime
Chapter
Chen, D. (2021). Domestic Violence Responses for Incarcerated Indigenous Women in Australia and New Zealand. Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse Research Briefs. https://www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/mp/files/publications/files/dv-responses-for-incarcerated-indigenous-women-final.pdf
Blagg, H. & Anthony, T. (2019). Carceral Feminism: Saving Indigenous Women from Indigenous Men. In Decolonising Criminology: Imagining Justice in a Postcolonial World. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 203-234. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cqu/reader.action?docID=5983950&ppg=218
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Addressing Indigenous overrepresentation in the CJS
Chapter
Hage, T. & Fellows, J. (2018). Combatting Over-representation of Indigenous Youth in the Queensland Criminal Justice System through 'Justice Reinvestment’. James Cook University Law Review 24, 147-168. https://heinonline-org.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/HOL/Page?lname=&public=false&collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/jamcook24&men_hide=false&men_tab=toc&kind=&page=147
Schwartz, M., Brown, D. & Cunneen, C. (2017). Justice Reinvestment. Indigenous Justice Clearinghouse Research Briefs. https://www.indigenousjustice.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/mp/files/publications/files/rb21-justice-reinvestment-schwartz-et-al-2017-ijc-webv2.pdf
Events and Submissions/Topic
Reseach paper due
Research Paper Due: Week 10 Thursday (25 Sept 2025) 9:00 am AEST
Module/Topic
Decolonising Criminal Justice in Australia
Chapter
Porter, A. (2016). Decolonizing policing: Indigenous patrols, counter-policing and safety. Theoretical Criminology, 20(4), 548–565. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362480615625763
Miller, A. (2017). Neighborhood justice centers and Indigenous empowerment. Australian Indigenous Law Review, 20(1), 123–153.https://heinonline-org.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/austindlr20&id=126&men_tab=srchresults
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Reflections: Applying course learnings
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Unit diary due
UNIT DIARY Due: Week 12 Thursday (9 Oct 2025) 9:00 am AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
A multiple choice quiz will be held on weeks 1-5 content (lectures, workshops, and readings).
The quiz will contain 20 questions. Each question is worth 1 mark (quiz total = 20%). There are no partial marks for any of the questions. You must read the questions carefully, and answer all parts of the question.
The quiz opens on the Monday of week 5 and closes on the Monday of Vacation week.
Once you start the quiz you will have 60 minutes to complete it. If you do not finish the quiz in this time, any answers you have selected will be submitted.
The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
1
Other
Vacation Week Monday (18 Aug 2025) 5:00 pm AEST
Complete quiz online - it can be found under the "Assessment" section on Moodle.
Immediate grading
- Comprehension of set unit materials
- Understanding of key concepts, terms and issues
- Critique the connections between the criminal justice system, health, mental health and poverty, particularly for Indigenous Australian youth
- Communicate using fundamental Indigenous Australian cultural competency.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Cross Cultural Competence
2 Written Assessment
For this assessment, you will choose one of the issues covered within the weekly topics from the unit. These will be discussed in the workshops and you can confirm your choice with the Unit Coordinator.
You will then conduct your own research, identifying relevant and reliable contemporary sources (peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and grey literature). Use the CQU Library database and/or Google scholar to find these.
Drawing on the sources you have collected, write a 1800-word research paper outlining the key themes and findings from your research.
Your paper should provide:
- An introductory overview of the chosen topic - where/when/what
- At least three (3) key themes derived from the literature that you used in your research (please use succinct subheadings to describe the themes)
- A summary of what the current knowledge-base tells us about this issue
You should utilise key concepts, ideas and theoretical terms from the literature when describing your chosen issue and present a range of perspectives/studies/articles about the topic.
Provide a reference list at the end of the paper containing all of the sources cited in-text, using APA 7 format. This is not included in the word count. A minimum of eight (8) scholarly sources must be included in this list.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 10 Thursday (25 Sept 2025) 9:00 am AEST
Submit on Moodle under the "assessment" area.
Within 2 weeks of submission
RESEARCH PAPER /50
- Appropriateness and clarity of chosen issue /6
- Comprehension of themes, concepts and findings from the contemporary literature /12
- Depth of research and reflection on findings /12
- Ability to organise and communicate research in a clear and logical manner, including organisation under thematic headings /8
- Appropriate integration of evidence, including referencing according to APA 7 style guide (in-text and reference list) /6
- Quality of writing, including grammar/spelling/punctuation /6
- Critique the connections between the criminal justice system, health, mental health and poverty, particularly for Indigenous Australian youth
- Discuss the impact of historical and contemporary approaches to criminal justice on Indigenous Australians
- Discuss theories of colonialism and post-colonialism as they pertain to contemporary Australian justice issues
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Cross Cultural Competence
3 Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books
You are required to maintain a diary which reflects on your learnings throughout the unit. This diary must contain entries which relate to the unit topics and content, evidencing your thoughts and learnings.
Within the diary, share your thoughts on the topics and issues covered, including the way you have come to understand the issues in the unit, how your opinions or position may have changed, and capture important learnings.
As this is a reflective assignment, the diary can be written in personal prose, however it should maintain an appropriate tone for academic work.
The diary should be setout under headings. You may choose to be creative with headings that relate to different aspects of your learning or different topics studied. It is up to you!
The total word count for the diary is 1500 words.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 2: You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.
Week 12 Thursday (9 Oct 2025) 9:00 am AEST
Submit in the "Assessment" area of Moodle
Within 2 weeks of submission
LEARNING JOURNAL /30
- Depth of engagement with unit content, including key concepts and issues /8
- Level of critical reflection on the unit issues /10
- Ability to capture and convey key learnings from throughout the unit /6
- Written communication (clarity, language, grammar, spelling etc.) / 6
- Critically reflect on current strategies that aim to improve relations between Indigenous Australians and criminal justice agencies
- Discuss the impact of historical and contemporary approaches to criminal justice on Indigenous Australians
- Discuss theories of colonialism and post-colonialism as they pertain to contemporary Australian justice issues
- Communicate using fundamental Indigenous Australian cultural competency.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Cross Cultural Competence
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
