John Peter Pat: The RCIADIC Enquiry

Introduction
In 1987, the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) was established to investigate 99 Aboriginal deaths that occurred while in police custody or prison (McDonald, 1999). From this investigation, the commission established a vivid profile of the lives of those who died - mostly young people who had experienced unemployment, inadequate education, separation from their families, early contact with the criminal justice system, poor health, problems with alcohol, as well as social and economic disadvantage (McDonald, 1999). …