Aboriginal woman died in October after being held under controversial policy of detaining problem drinkers

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

An Aboriginal woman from Alice Springs has died at a central Australian facility while undertaking mandatory alcohol rehabilitation treatment, but authorities will not be treating it as a death in custody.



The woman, reported to be about 40 years old, died at the Central Australian Aboriginal alcohol programmes unit (CAAAPU)in October while being held under the Northern Territory’s contentious policy of detaining problem drinkers for rehabilitation treatment.

She was married with one child who had died some years ago, the Australian newspaper reported.

The case is being treated as a death in care, rather than custody. Deaths in custody are reported to the public quickly. The woman’s sister, Elizabeth Ragette, told ABC radio she had been told of the death only last week.

When her sister was detained, Ragette was hopeful for the treatment. “I thought they were going to keep her there to get better and eat lots of good food,” she told AM. “I wanted them to look after her properly so she could get healthy and not have so much grog.”

She also questioned what health facilities were available because her sister, whom she told the Australian was a long-term heavy drinker, needed medication for seizures.

The scheme – under which anyone who is picked up by police three times in two months for being drunk is forced to undergo treatment – was introduced 18 months ago amid widespread criticism that it would unfairly target Indigenous people and criminalise alcoholism.

The delay in reporting this death further pointed to the lack of transparency about the scheme, Dr John Boffa, a spokesman for the Alice Springs-based People’s Alcohol Action Coalition, told Guardian Australia.

“It just makes it more urgent and more important that there is greater transparency and accountability in this process,” he said. “There is a duty of care obviously that needs to be exercised in a place like this with people in institutional care.”

Boffa said it has been common knowledge that some people are escaping the facility and getting drunk and coming back.

“We don’t know how often though because there hasn’t been an evaluation yet of the outcomes [of the scheme],” he said.

“That’s been a concern for a while that there hasn’t been adequate transparency and accountability of the system.

“Obviously it’s a treatment program that is going to be working with some very sick people. But the question is what are the benefits, who is helped, who isn’t. But they’re questions we can’t answer because we just don’t have the data.”

NT police report deaths in custody promptly, Russell Goldflam, the president of the Criminal Lawyers Association of the Northern Territory, told Guardian Australia.

“I understand why they have a policy to report things quickly because otherwise it looks like a cover-up,” he said.

“Under the Coroners Act a person who is subject to an order made under the Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Act is defined to be a person in care ... They’re in care, but in real terms, they’re not allowed to go outside the centre where they’re being treated. They’re in custody, but it’s not custody for the purposes of the Coroners Act.”

Whether the death is in care or custody it would still prompt a coronial inquest, he said.

NT police told Guardian Australia it refers people to the NT health department after being taken into custody three times.

The acting minister for alcohol rehabilitation and CAAAPU have both been contacted for comment.

The death has been referred to the coroner.