Reducing breach
7.106 Reductions in breach may be accomplished through engagement and collaboration with relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to provide sentencing options and assistance in meeting conditions, partnering with agencies and service providers to provide co-location of services.[158] Breach rates may also be reduced by the use of graduated sanctions in order to provide …
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Read moreWhat is justice reinvestment?
4.7 A justice reinvestment approach to criminal justice reform involves a redirection of money from prisons to fund and rebuild human resources and physical infrastructure in areas most affected by high levels of incarceration.[3] Justice reinvestment originated in the United States (US) as a response to an exponential growth in the rate of imprisonment since …
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Read moreJustice reinvestment in action
The United States4.32 Justice reinvestment has been most extensively implemented in the US under the banner of the ‘Justice Reinvestment Initiative’ (JRI). The JRI focuses on state-level reforms to reduce corrections spending and to reinvest in strategies to increase public safety and strengthen communities.4.33 The JRI has been led by a number of think-tanks, non-profit …
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Read moreA national justice reinvestment body
Recommendation 4–1 Commonwealth, state and territory governments should provide support for the establishment of an independent justice reinvestment body. The purpose of the body should be to promote the reinvestment of resources from the criminal justice system to community-led, place-based initiatives that address the drivers of crime and incarceration, and to provide expertise on the …
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Read moreOverview of the Report
ContextIn 1991, the RCIADIC found that the fundamental causes for over-representation of Aboriginal people in custody were not located within the criminal justice system. Such a claim has been echoed many times since. In Chapter 2, the ALRC places the disproportionate incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today in social and historical …
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Read moreTerms of Reference
ALRC inquiry into the incarceration rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoplesI, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, Attorney-General of Australia, refer to the Australian Law Reform Commission, an inquiry into the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our prisons.It is acknowledged that while laws and legal frameworks are an important factor …
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Read moreAppendix C: Inquiry report
Inquiry into Protecting the Rights of Older Australians from AbuseOn 23 February 2016, the Attorney-General, Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, provided Terms of Reference to the ALRC for a review of existing Commonwealth laws and legal frameworks which seek to safeguard and protect older persons from misuse or abuse by formal and informal carers, …
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Read moreOther reporting requirements
Procurement and purchasingPurchasing within the ALRC is guided by its Procurement and Purchasing Policy, which is consistent with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) and the PGPA Act. As an agency expending public money, the ALRC must be accountable for its resources and expenditure.The ALRC Procurement and Purchasing Policy sets ‘value for money’ as the core …
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Read morePresident’s overview
It is with mixed emotions that I present my final President’s Overview for the 2016–17 Annual Report, as I leave the ALRC to take up my new Commission as President of the Australian Human Rights Commission on 31 July 2017. I say ‘mixed emotions’ because, although I consider it a great privilege to be joining …
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Read moreSpecialist courts and diversion programs
11.18 Criminal offences are divided into two categories: summary and indictable offences. Summary offences are heard in the lower courts (Local or Magistrates courts), whereas indictable offences are generally heard in District/County or Supreme courts. These courts are referred to as ‘mainstream’ courts, and hear the majority of criminal cases prosecuted in all Australian jurisdictions.11.19 …
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