The national Closing the Gap reform provides a mandate for mainstream organisations to undergo structural transformation to better address the needs and concerns of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In the criminal justice sector, the reform resonates strongly with ongoing discussions about how both policy and practice can address the significant over-representation of Aboriginal people across the criminal justice system. One way that structural transformation can occur is through the genuine involvement of Aboriginal knowledge holders and communities in policy development. This study illustrates how this might happen in relation to youth justice policy and programme design. Eighteen Aboriginal community members from a town in rural New South Wales participated in a series of interviews relevant to the Closing the Gap target. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify four key themes relevant to the development of justice policy: supporting cultural identity in a post-colonial context; articulating strengths and resources which can be mobilised in the community; the centrality of poverty to offending; and responding to intergenerational trauma. The study illustrates how non-Indigenous policymakers and practitioners might approach the task of engagement and consultation by identifying Aboriginal knowledge as a legitimate epistemic resource that they can draw upon to guide the ongoing development of evidence-based policy and programmes.

中文翻译：

---

在澳大利亚制定青年司法政策和计划设计

全国缩小差距改革为主流组织提供了一项任务，以进行结构转型，以更好地解决原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民社区的需求和关切。在刑事司法部门，改革与正在进行的关于政策和实践如何解决整个刑事司法系统中土著人代表性过高的讨论产生强烈共鸣。实现结构转型的一种方式是让土著知识持有者和社区真正参与政策制定。这项研究说明了在青年司法政策和项目设计方面这可能如何发生。来自新南威尔士州农村一个小镇的 18 名土著社区成员参加了一系列与缩小差距目标相关的采访。定性内容分析用于确定与制定司法政策相关的四个关键主题：支持后殖民背景下的文化认同；阐明可以在社区中调动的优势和资源；贫困对犯罪的中心地位；并应对代际创伤。该研究说明了非土著政策制定者和从业者如何通过将土著知识确定为他们可以用来指导循证政策和计划的持续发展的合法认知资源来处理参与和协商的任务。阐明可以在社区中调动的优势和资源；贫困对犯罪的中心地位；并应对代际创伤。该研究说明了非土著政策制定者和从业者如何通过将土著知识确定为他们可以用来指导循证政策和计划的持续发展的合法认知资源来处理参与和协商的任务。阐明可以在社区中调动的优势和资源；贫困对犯罪的中心地位；并应对代际创伤。该研究说明了非土著政策制定者和从业者如何通过将土著知识确定为他们可以用来指导循证政策和计划的持续发展的合法认知资源来处理参与和协商的任务。