Incarceration Nation

Incarceration Nation connects the relentless government intervention since colonisation to the trauma and disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians comprise 29% of the prison population but only 3.3% of the population. We’re amidst an internationally recognised human rights catastrophe. It’s time for change. Australia was founded with a clear purpose, to create a prison island. 230 years later, our incarceration rates are amongst the highest in the world, costing our nation billions of dollars. But the most devastating cost is the erosion of the culture, values and wellbeing of our First Nations Peoples. The film asks why petty crimes like unpaid parking fines, can lead to imprisonment, whilst also highlighting the costs of our current system – both economically and socially, by forensically examining our Nation’s law enforcement, judicial and prison systems.