Survival offending—how our finance system fosters moral disengagement

The number of Indigenous Women (Women) in Australian prison has been called “alarming:” 39 per cent of the female prison population are Indigenous, yet make up only 3.8 of the Australian population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2023; Marie, 2021). Rightly, domestic and family violence, mental and physical health (eg acquired brain injuries), as well as addiction have been researched (Dale et al., 2019; Fitts, Johnson, & Soldatic, 2024). However, there has been minimal research into the specific role finance plays in Women’s rehabilitation and recidivism, and whether the broader finance system fosters Women’s moral disengagement (Botha & Freeman, 2022; Parker, Kilroy, & Hirst, 2018). Therefore, this research has explored what role finance plays, hearing directly from 11 Women in prison and 11 people who support (Supporter) Women in the prison system.