Here you’ll find a wide selection of policy papers and submissions we’ve published.
Each paper draws on our experience working with disadvantaged youth, families and communities.
In Australia, at this time, a child as young as 10 can be charged with a crime, put before a court and punished as a criminal. Jesuit Social Services believes this is not only bad for children, but also for the wider community. Our new paper— Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility: There is a better way — shows the way forward.
In supporting people to reach their full potential, we cannot ignore the structural barriers to participation that many people face, including poverty, locational disadvantage, a lack of appropriate housing and a social safety net that has been chronically underfunded.
The imperative to address these factors underlines Jesuit Social Services’ submission to the 2020-21 Federal Budget.
In 2019, senior leaders from Jesuit Social Services embarked on a study trip to New Zealand to learn more about innovative approaches to dealing with adults and young people who have contact with the criminal justice system.
The New Zealand justice system faces similar challenges to Australia’s justice system – a high incarceration rate and a significant over-representation of indigenous people in the justice system.
There are, however, pockets of success and innovation that could help inform us here in Australia. These include: political will and leadership; an appetite for innovation; the strong connection to culture; a commitment to a restorative justice approach to offending; and the acknowledgement of the importance of relationship and connection for all people.
So it’s now time for a reset in Australia. Through this report, we set out some of our key observations from New Zealand and look at ideas that might be helpful here.
