Strong communities and justice practices in the Torres Strait Region

Abstract

This article examines crime prevention practices in the Torres Strait Region (TSR), where relatively low crime rates challenge the association of discrete Indigenous communities with crime ‘problems’ and also test other criminological assumptions around crime. Drawing on 27 interviews with justice professionals and social workers in the TSR, we account for the resilience of a ‘shame culture’ in the region, which provides for a high level of social integration and sustains crime prevention practices, such as cultural mediation. Thus, we argue that while economic indicators such as wealth and employment show high levels of disadvantage in the TSR, indicators of strong social capital provide an explanation for low crime rates. We conclude that social capital is translated into local crime prevention practices that are unique to the TSR and reinforce the importance of cultural continuity and autonomy.