The issue of mandatory sentencing is evidence of the difficulties communities face in dealing with social inequalities. The current laws in the Northern Territory state that anyone, regardless of age or circumstances, who commits three separate offences, will be jailed - whether it is in a juvenile centre or an adult prison. It is a `three strikes and you're out' system that seems to be putting a lot more Aboriginals behind bars than anyone else. The NT government has introduced this system in the hope that it will reduce the number of `petty' offences (alcoholism, shoplifting, etc); the idea is that would-be offenders are deterred by the imminent jail term if they break the law. The problem is, Aboriginals feel as if these new laws are unfairly targeting them. The government receives $1 billion of federal funding every year to spend on Aboriginals, yet they do not seem to...