Supporting Indigenous people with disability in contact with the justice system: a systematic scoping review.

The relationship between race, disability and criminality is complex and poorly understood. Scant information, and lack of action, exists on how to best keep Indigenous people with disability out of the justice system, and support this cohort while in the system. This systematic scoping review collates grey and peer-reviewed literature in Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand), the United States and Canada, to gain insight into the current practices in place for justice-involved Indigenous people with disability, and list promising principles which may inform future practice. We identified 1,301 sources, and 19 of these met the inclusion criteria. Across these sources, nine key principles emerged: need for Indigenous designed, led and owned approaches; appropriately identify and respond to disability/needs; appropriate court models; appropriate diversionary options; therapeutic, trauma-informed, strengths-based and agency-building responses; facilitate connection to family, community and support networks; break down communication barriers; protect human rights; and provide post-release support. Points of interest: Internationally, Indigenous people with disability are over-repre.sented in criminal justice systems. The reasons for this are complex and not well understood. Existing evidence suggests that long-lasting effects of colonisation; discrimination on the basis of race and disability; problems identifying and reporting disability; and lack of proper services contribute to this issue. Often, criminal justice systems do not recognise or support a person's disability until they reach crisis point. There is a critical need for culturally-appropriate and disability-appropriate interventions, such as diagnostic tools; training programs for police, correctional officers and other service providers; community court models; and more accessible communication. There is some evidence that Indigenous-led programs – involving country, culture, art, social connection and holistic healing – help prevent Indigenous people with disability from entering and re-entering justice systems. More research and evaluation is needed to determine how to better support Indigenous people with disability in contact with the justice system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]