Media releases Archives - Page 12 of 29

Foundations of Victoria’s youth justice system must be maintained
- 24 May 2017
Victoria is at risk of eroding its progressive youth justice system by making changes to the successful dual track system, which allows young people aged between 18 and 21 to be sentenced to youth detention, warns Jesuit Social Services. “The Government is treading down a dangerous path by dismantling many of the elements of our…
Supreme Court win a victory for human rights
- 11 May 2017
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the Supreme Court verdict handed down today that the detention of children and young people in the maximum security adult Barwon Prison is unlawful. “We are pleased that the Supreme Court has reiterated what we and others have said for months: that there is no place for children in adult prisons,”…
Vulnerable groups recognised in bail response
- 8 May 2017
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the Victorian Government’s $25.2 million commitment to continue and expand the Court Integrated Services Program (CISP) and the CISP Remand Outreach Pilot to monitor and supervise people on bail and remand, and target the underlying causes of offending. The commitment is in response to Supreme Court Justice Paul Coghlan’s review of…
Victorian budget – A lost opportunity to invest in crime reduction
- 3 May 2017
With the Victorian budget in a strong position, Jesuit Social Services has welcomed investment in family violence, social housing and mental health initiatives. Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards said the unprecedented commitment to reducing family violence was a watershed moment and welcomed the full package of announcements. However, Ms Edwards said that at a time of such significant spending on serious…
Youth remand court will ease pressure on youth detention system
- 24 April 2017
A new youth remand court, which will ‘fast-track’ the cases of many children currently held in detention unsentenced, will ease the pressure on Victoria’s youth detention system according to Jesuit Social Services. “The pressure on Victoria’s youth detention system has been clear in recent months. We’ve seen a series of incidents, including one in November…
Territory can’t revert to punitive approach in dealing with vulnerable young people
- 12 April 2017
Jesuit Social Services says the majority of young people in youth detention should not be punished with more severe security restrictions for the actions of a few, following an incident in which two boys escaped from Don Dale Youth Detention Centre. “Nobody wants to read news of two young people on remand escaping a detention…
Mandatory sentences won’t improve community safety
- 11 April 2017
The introduction of mandatory sentences for a range of offences, proposed by Victorian Opposition leader Mathew Guy, will not improve community safety according to Jesuit Social Services. Under the proposed legislation, to be introduced if Opposition leader Mathew Guy is elected in November 2018, mandatory prison sentences would be applicable to 11 crimes where the…
Royal Commission interim report reveals failings of NT’s youth justice system
- 3 April 2017
The interim report of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory has shown how the Territory’s youth detention system has further entrenched the issues behind youth crime, says Jesuit Social Services. The report tabled last week reveals the failings of the system, in particular Don Dale, after an…
Isolation of young people undermines community safety
- 23 March 2017
The use of isolation in Victoria’s youth justice facilities is counter-productive and risks entrenching rather than correcting poor behaviour, says Jesuit Social Services, following a new report by the Commissioner for Children and Young People. The report into isolation, separation and lockdown practices tabled in Parliament today found that isolation was imposed at least nine…
Horror revelations from Barwon Prison show we’re going the wrong way to fix the system
- 17 February 2017
Jesuit Social Services says Victoria’s besieged youth justice system is heading in the direction of the Northern Territory before the Royal Commission was announced, following new revelations from the Human Rights Law Centre about the treatment of young people in the adult Barwon Prison. “Less than a year ago the nation was rightly horrified by…

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