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Most disadvantaged learners to benefit from Victorian Government’s Navigator initiative
Jesuit Social Services is proud to have successfully tendered to deliver casework and support to disadvantaged young learners as part of the Victorian Government’s Navigator initiative. Navigator, announced in September 2015, is part of the Victorian Government’s state-wide Education State: Schools reform agenda. The $8.6 million two-year Navigator pilot will work with disengaged learners aged…
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Youth diversion helps young people avoid lifetime involvement with the justice system
Jesuit Social Services has welcomed the Victorian Government’s $5.6 million budget investment to expand the current Youth Diversion Pilot Program which steers vulnerable young people away from future involvement in the justice system and works to reduce reoffending. “Youth diversion programs are crucial in allowing young people to address the causes behind their offending while…
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State Government must commit to 15 per cent reduction in reoffending: Jesuit Social Services
Ahead of the Victorian State Budget, Jesuit Social Services has urged the State Government to commit to achieving a 15 per cent reduction in reoffending rates over the next five years. “Every dollar spent in the budget is a dollar not being spent on vital community services like housing, education and mental health,” says Jesuit…
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Proactive approach to family violence will promote safety: Jesuit Social Services
Jesuit Social Services welcomes the final report of the Royal Commission into Family Violence, publicly released today, and congratulates the Victorian Government for its commitment to implement all 227 recommendations. “Today’s report marks a critical opportunity for government, in partnership with community, to make real and lasting changes in the area of family violence,” says Jesuit…
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Increasing Indigenous prison rates requires a rethink
New data released yesterday revealing a further increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people incarcerated in Victoria is evidence that further work is needed to meet the specific needs of these groups in the justice system, says Jesuit Social Services. Quarterly Corrective Services statistics published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics…
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Bail Amendment Bill will help vulnerable young people
Jesuit Social Services congratulates the Victorian Government on the passing of the Bail Amendment Bill 2015, which will help address the alarming increase in the number of children arrested and held on remand in Victoria. “Most young offending is episodic, transitory and unlikely to constitute a risk to the safety and welfare of the community,”…
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Changes to Bail Act welcome after children unintentionally snagged in tightening net
Jesuit Social Services welcomes changes to Bail introduced into the Victorian Parliament on Wednesday 25 November to address the alarming increase in vulnerable children being held in remand despite a 14 per cent drop in the number of young offenders. Jesuit Social Services acting CEO Sally Parnell says that previous changes to the Bail Act…
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Reducing reoffending the key to creating safer communities: Ombudsman report
Jesuit Social Services today welcomes findings of the Victorian Ombudsman’s Investigation into the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners in Victoria, which recommends a whole-of-government approach focused on reducing reoffending. “We know that our prison system is overworked and overcrowded, and that more than half of the people in Victoria’s prisons have previously served a custodial…
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Overcrowding in prisons the backdrop to riots
Severe overcrowding in Victoria’s prisons has created the kind of pressure cooker conditions in which riots are more likely, and should be considered as a contributing factor in any investigation of the Ravenhall riot, according to Jesuit Social Services. “We know from a series of reports and our own experience working with people in prisons…
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Slowing of growth in prisoner numbers welcome but more reform needed
The number of people in Victorian prisons increased by only 20 in the first quarter of 2015 after unprecedented growth in recent years, but Jesuit Social Services has warned that the current imprisonment rate is still unsustainable and systemic reform is needed. The state’s prison population has been increasing rapidly: increasing by 12 per cent…