Victims of the criminal justice system?

Is it just me, or do many Indigenous Australian's appear to be victims of the criminal justice system?

Ironically, the system that aims to "help" people and do "justice", is bullying Indigenous people into submission. We say we have gone past assimilation and into the self determination era, and yet, they are still living by white law.

If someone came along and said to me, "You can determine your own life, you can keep your community, you can speak your language, but you must abide by sharia laws" I would be completely outraged. I can't keep my life, culture and identity if I am to be persecuted for the very things I find appealing about my life. What has happened, since 1788, is that an entire race of people have lost themselves, their culture, their identity,  for no good reason other than white people felt the need to exercise their perceived superiority. A lack of understanding led to something terrible, but then in true British fashion, like anything undesirable, it was swept under the carpet.

I can't help but feel as though this continues on today. If an Indigenous person ends up in court, it is rare that what led them to their situation is taken into account. They are punished according to white standards and no opportunities, beyond token gestures are offered to attempt to understand "why" and to rehabilitate them, in a culturally sensitive and specific way.

I do not know how to fix this problem, but one day I hope we can find an answer. Perhaps we should start by stepping back, and actually committing to what was promised when John Howard was voted in as the prime minister, and give people self determination. Step back to when an apology and all the promises that went with it was made by Kevin Rudd, and honour those words. Presently, it seems like on paper we want self determination, but in reality, Indigenous policies are simply an extension of assimilation.

Just a thought.