RCIADIC death in custody

ESSAY

Length: 2500 words /Referencing style APA /

Sources of referencing from:

Beresford and Omaji (1996) ,
Daly Kathleen, 2006, Australian Human Rights Commission Bringing them Home Report,
Bolger Audrey 1991 Violent Experiences,
Cunneen et al 2009 Criminalisation and policing in Indigenous communities,
Cowlishaw Gillian 1988 Black, white or Brindle,
Homel et al. 1999 Risk and resilience; crime and violence prevention in Aboriginal communities,
Ogilvie and van Zyl 2001 Young Indigenous males custodies and the rites of passage,
Broadhurst Roderic 2002 Crime and Indigenous people,
Brady Maggie 1992 Heavy Metal; the social meaning of petrol sniffing in Australia

What is relevant for your paper is the life and circumstances of each man, the context in which he grew up and lived, his involvement in petty (or more serious) criminal activity, his interactions with police or other agents of control, his relationships in school and with significant others (families, loved ones), his work experience, among other areas. All of these (and other factors) have a bearing on what brought that young man to police or prison custody.
Utilising the biographical and other information contained in one RCIADIC death in custody case, you will explain how and why this Indigenous person was subject to criminalisation and imprisonment. The purpose of the assignment is to demonstrate your knowledge of what was learned in the semester concerning the Indigenous pathways to criminalisation and imprisonment, applying that knowledge to the circumstances, contexts, and developments in one person’s life. The task, then, is to apply a sophisticated understanding of race, crime, and justice (from the set readings, lectures, and the Study Guide) to one person. The essay should be well-rounded, theoretically well-grounded, and perceptive.

Your task is to draw from relevant set readings in the course (these will vary, depending on the case you choose) as resources in identifying and discussing five major factors that explain the young man’s pathway to custody. You should describe what the factors are, how they are discussed in the literature (using the readings listed below), and how they apply or are relevant to the person you have chosen.

Your essay should be structured around the following content:
1. Description of life and circumstances (biographical details) of XX
Describe the life of XX. You must be brief in distilling the main points that come from the Report and how XX came to be in police or prison custody. At the same time, you should use this section as a means to introduce the five factors you identify and discuss later in the essay.
2. RCIADIC explanations for XX’s pathway to crime or conflict with the law

Briefly describe how the Commissioner explained XX’s pathway to crime or conflict with the law in his Report. (Your analysis and discussion in item 4 may build upon what the Commissioner said, or it may depart from it.)
Items 1 and 2 are largely summary and descriptive, although they require an ability to distil many pages of detail contained in each Death Report. They should not constitute the bulk of your essay. As a rough guide, these two items together should total no more than about 750-1000 words.
3. Identification and analysis of five major factors that explain XX’s pathway to crime or conflict with the law
Identify, discuss and analyse five major factors that explain XX’s pathway to crime or conflict with the law, drawing from the course readings.
This item requires considerable thought and attention, and I would expect it to be longer and more detailed than the other sections – allocate approx. 1000 words to this section.
4. Reflection on analysis
Reflect on your analysis. Does XX’s life and conflict with the law challenge or depart from the conventional explanations? Or, does it exemplify one or more of your factors? You may use this section as a means of summarising your arguments and concluding your essay.
This item demonstrates critical self-reflection (although it should be relatively brief, about two paragraphs or 500 words).
5. Structure, writing, and referencing
Your essay should be well structured and logical, well-written, free of grammatical/spelling mistakes, and correctly referenced with a reference list.

ROYAL COMMISSION INTO ABORIGINAL DEATHS IN CUSTODY
REPORT OF THE INQUIRY INTO THE DEATH OF
THE YOUNG MAN WHO DIED AT WUJAL WUJAL
ON 29 MARCH 1987