Aboriginal Inmates FAQs

What percentage of the prison population was Aboriginal?

The Aboriginal population in Maitland Gaol fluctuated at times between 30% and 50%.

Were Aboriginal prisoners encouraged to embrace their Aboriginality while in gaol?

According to Oral History Research data, Aboriginal inmates were generally treated the same way as other prisoners therefore they had to conform to the white man’s routines. The expression of their Aboriginal identity was discouraged until the most recent times in the Gaol’s history.

How did most Aboriginals see themselves while in gaol?

According to research data supplied by an Indigenous Case Worker citing The Royal Commision Into Aboriginal Deaths In Custody, Aboriginal inmates were often remorseful and ashamed of their crimes. They also suffered low self esteem caused, in degrees, by the loss of their culture and living in an atmosphere of prejudice, being forever condemned by white standards.