The abuse of people in detention happens in secret; OPCAT findings must be made public

Jesuit Social Services supports a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament and throughout 2023, we are advocating for a YES vote in the upcoming referendum. We were honoured to welcome Amanda Watkinson, who is an Aboriginal woman and former Jesuit Social Services staff member, to speak to staff at our recent All Staff Day in June about what a YES vote would mean for Indigenous peoples and for Australia as a whole.

Read Andy Hamilton SJ's reflection on community led justice reinvestment to support our submission to the Justice Reinvestment Design Project.

A recent report found Victoria’s prison system is rife with bullying, harassment, sexism and racism – creating an unsafe workplace for staff and impacting on the ability for prisoners to turn their lives around. Victoria must look at international best practice and ensure its staff are equipped and supported to perform challenging work.

Raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14 years has been a key policy focus for Jesuit Social Services for almost a decade, and 2022 has seen us increase our advocacy to achieve this goal.

Our Victorian election platform advocates for funding for initiatives that enable people to re-engage with education, training and employment, such as our Navigator and JVES programs.