JON STANHOPE. OVER the last eight years, the number of Aboriginal people sent to prison in Australia has increased by just over 50 per cent. Jon Stanhope. Without argument, this is a national disgrace. Over the last eight years, the number of Aboriginal people sent to prison in Canberra has increased by 279 per cent. The highest rate of increase in Australia. Of the Aboriginal people currently in prison in Canberra, 90 per cent have served a prior sentence of imprisonment. It is the highest recidivism rate in Australia. An Aboriginal person in Canberra is 19.4 times more likely to be sent to prison than a non-Aboriginal person. The highest rate ratio in Australia.