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Victorian State Election 2022: Reduce harm arising from youth detention
Our Victorian state election blog series calls on the incoming government to reduce harm arising from youth detention.
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A whole-of-government approach needed to keep disadvantaged young people on the right track
There were plenty of young Victorians already doing it tough before the 2020 bushfires and COVID-19 lockdowns. For young people with histories of trauma, drug and alcohol issues, cognitive impairments, involvement in the child protection/out-of-home care or youth justice systems, and young people culturally and linguistically diverse communities that experience exclusion and discrimination, these last…
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Federal Election 2022: Raising the age must be a priority of incoming Federal Government
Jesuit Social Services’ recently released Federal Election platform, A blueprint for a just recovery, builds on 45 years of advocacy and action, to outline our vision for a just society. In this third in a series of pre-Election blogs, we focus on fair justice systems.
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In brief: Submission to the Inquiry into Victoria’s Criminal Justice System
Jesuit Social Services was pleased to contribute a submission to the Inquiry into Victoria’s Criminal Justice System. We highlighted some of our concerns with current operations, and presented our vision of an evidence-based, socially just system underpinned by principles of prevention, early intervention, and restorative justice. Context The Victorian Parliament’s Legal and Social Issues Committee…
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Help us to give young people a second chance
Our #WorthASecondChance campaign was launched in July 2018 as a way to engage the public in joining with us to call for the youth justice system our community deserves. At the time, youth justice in Victoria was at a crossroad. Victoria had once been a leader in its approach to youth justice but after years…
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Better approaches to supporting young people in the Northern Territory
In May, the Northern Territory Government introduced a number of legislative changes to the youth justice system that will see more children separated from family and community, and funnelled into detention. These deeply concerning measures include increasing grounds to refuse or revoke bail; reducing access to diversion; and more powers to place electronic monitoring devices…
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Ravenhall audit a sobering reminder of need for transparency in prison system
A new audit of Ravenhall Prison, tabled yesterday by the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, shows that an over-crowded prison population is limiting people’s access to vital programs and services to help them address the underlying issues behind their offending. We need greater access to data and transparency across the board to assess whether prison operators are…
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Decriminalisation of public drunkenness will save lives
The Victorian Government’s commitment to decriminalise public drunkenness and develop and adopt an alternative, health-based response will save lives and give vulnerable people pathways to lead healthy and fulfilling lives, says Jesuit Social Services. “We are extremely pleased to see the Victorian Government recognise that public drunkenness laws like those which have been in place…