Senate Inquiry into Justice Reinvestment
What was at stake
First federal parliamentary inquiry into justice reinvestment. Heard evidence from Bourke, international experts, and Aboriginal organisations.
What happened
The Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee conducted an inquiry into whether a justice reinvestment approach could add value to criminal justice in Australia. The inquiry heard submissions and testimony from Aboriginal communities (including representatives from Bourke, NSW), international experts who had implemented justice reinvestment in the United States and United Kingdom, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, legal bodies, and government agencies. Witnesses described the disproportionate incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the failure of existing punitive approaches to reduce reoffending or address underlying drivers of crime such as poverty, housing instability, and lack of services.
What the court decided
Recommended pilot programs, data collection, Aboriginal community control, and diversion funding. Led to support for Maranguka pilot.
Categories
Authoritative link
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