This report presents the findings of a project that explored whether there was disparity in the use of police diversion based on Indigenous status and whether the impact of police diversion varied based on Indigenous status. While police cautioning and police referred conferencing are widely used throughout Australia, few studies have explored whether there is disparity in the use or impact of these diversionary processes. Limited evidence suggests that Indigenous young people are less likely to be diverted than non-Indigenous young people and that Indigenous young people are more likely to have recontact than non-Indigenous young people, regardless of the juvenile justice system response. Given that Indigenous over-representation is a perennial problem in the justice system, the current project addressed three research questions:
RQ1: What is the extent of Indigenous over-representation in the Queensland juvenile justice system? RQ2: Are Indigenous young people less likely to be diverted by police to a caution or conference than non-Indigenous young people? RQ3: How effective is police diversion at reducing recontact with the juvenile justice system? Addressing these research questions will provide an understanding about whether an increased proportion of Indigenous people could be diverted and whether police diversionary practices could be used to reduce Indigenous over-representation and begin to ‘close the gap’ on Indigenous over-representation in the justice system.