Critical Reflections on the Operation of Aboriginal Night Patrols

Abstract

Much has been written about Aboriginal night patrols in recent decades; this has typically been ethnographic or evaluative. However, little work has been done to situate night patrols against wider historic trends in criminal justice and theorize their contribution in relation to neoliberal regimes of justice. Drawing on data collected as part of an evaluation of Aboriginal night patrols in New South Wales, this paper develops a critical approach to understanding night patrols. We interrogate the notion of ‘community’ - central to the philosophy and practice of night patrols - examining the limitations of community forms of justice in challenging dominant understandings of crime and addressing the structural causes of crime.