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CPD Projects
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Aboriginal Justice Plan
Alcohol and drugs
Court/Community justice interventions
Domestic violence
Sexual assault
Aboriginal Justice Plan
The NSW Attorney General, Hon. John Hatzistergos and the Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council (AJAC) chairperson, Lennie Frail and the Aboriginal Youth Justice Advisory Network (AYJAN) chairperson, Bobbi Cattermole launched the NSW Government's 10 year Aboriginal Justice Plan, in 2005.
The Aboriginal Justice Plan is intended to operate over 10 years. It aims to not only reduce the number of Aboriginal people coming into contact with the criminal justice system, but to improve the way that system deals with all Aboriginal people whether they are offenders or victims of crime..
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Aboriginal Child Sexual Assault Taskforce
ACSAT has been established to look into child sexual assault in Aboriginal communities across NSW. ACSAT have considered ways to improve services to Aboriginal children, young people and families who have experienced child sexual assault
The report "Breaking the Silence: Creating the Future. Addressing child sexual assault in Aboriginal communities in NSW" has been released.
For more information and a copy of the report go to the ACSAT website>>
Aboriginal Child Sexual Assault Multimedia Awareness Campaign
The Aboriginal Child Sexual Assault Taskforce Report "breaking the Silence: Creating a Future" and The NSW Interagency Plan: To Tackle child sexual assault in Aboriginal communities 2006 - 2011 both listed as a priority for NSW Attorney General's Department:
To fund a Multi Media campaign to raise awareness and educate Aboriginal communities around child sexual assaultand their legal rights.
The NSW Attorney General's Department is with Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Service to develop this multimedia campaign.
In order to consider the best way to develop the campaign a significant amount of information was sourced including; current statistical data, an inventory of cburrent resources, what information the community required and through what mediums. To source the community information a survey tool was developed and a number of face-toface consultations were undertaken. The report outlines the results of this work.
ACSA Campaign Consultation Report (PDF 650Kb)
Aboriginal Community Justice Groups
Factsheet: Aboriginal Community Justice Groups >> (PDF 42Kb)
Aboriginal Community Justice Groups are local groups of Aboriginal people who come together to develop ways to address local law and justice issues.
Groups are able to work with juvenile and adult offenders as well as victims of crime.
Groups operate in rural, remote, and metropolitan New South Wales. Groups will have an important role to play in Circle Sentencing.
Aboriginal Community Patrols
Factsheet: PDF Version (42Kb) or Word/Text Version (27Kb)
If you are already involved with an Aboriginal Community Patrol you can access the online documentation here>>
Aboriginal Community Patrols are community based services that operate a safe transport and outreach service for people who are on the streets late at night. The overall aim of patrols is to reduce the risk of people becoming involved in crime and anti-social behavior, either as a potential victims or offenders. Patrols operate late at night when other support services are not available.
Circle Sentencing
Circle Sentencing is an alternative sentencing court for adult Aboriginal offenders. It directly involves local Aboriginal people in the process of sentencing offenders, with the aims of making it more meaningful and improving confidence in the criminal justice system. It also empowers Aboriginal people to address criminal behaviour within their local communities.
Circle Sentencing factsheet: PDF Version (47Kb)
Domestic Violence Intervention Court Model
The Domestic Violence Court Intervention Model (DVCIM) is an integrated criminal justice and community social welfare response to domestic violence.
The DVCIM aims to improve safety for victims of domestic violence offences in contact with the criminal justice system and ensure perpetrators of domestic violence offences are held to account for their actions.
Model objectives
- Providing efficient and seamless support to victims of domestic violence, through the entire prosecution process
- Improving the quality of the prosecution process to get better criminal justice system outcomes
- Finding the balance between individual victim concerns and criminal justice system responsibilities to uphold law
- Providing integrated offender victim and children’s programs aimed at enhancing victim’s safety and reducing repeat offending.
How does it work?
Where a domestic violence matter is reported to police and there is evidence to warrant it DVCIM will:
- Improve collection of evidence and actively pursue charges
- Arrest an alleged offender, lay charges and issue a summons
- Apply for an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order
- Issue an offender with strict bail conditions
- Support the victim/s throughout the criminal process
- Ensure all files are tracked and monitored throughout the process
- Improve brief preparations for court
Where the matter is appropriate for prosecution DVCIM will provide witness preparation and ensure victim safety and support is addressed.
The DVCIM is currently being trialed in two locations – Wagga Wagga and Campbelltown.
Project Partners in the DVCIM include: NSW Attorney General’s Department, NSW Police, Department of Corrective Services, NSW Legal Aid Commission and the NSW Department of Community Services. Each of these agencies are partners in the DVCIM because of their key role in the delivery of services and criminal justice responses to victims and perpetrators of domestic violence.
Drug Court (Adult)
Drug Courts are specialist courts that deal with offenders who are dependent on drugs. They emerged as a result of growing disenchantment with the ability of traditional criminal justice approaches to provide long-term solutions to the cycle of drug use and crime. Drug Courts aim to assist drug-dependent offenders to overcome both their drug dependence and their criminal offending.
The Drug Court of New South Wales (NSW) is the first Drug Court to be trialed and evaluated in Australia. The Drug Court has Local Court and District Court jurisdiction. The court operates from the Parramatta Court complex.
Go to the Drug Court website
Forum Sentencing
Forum Sentencing brings together an offender, the victim(s) of the offender’s crime and other people affected by the crime. Forum Sentencing operates at selected NSW Local Courts and will be extended across the State over the next few years.
Forum Sentencing provides:
- The victim(s) and other people with the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the offender and tell them about the impact of the crime on their lives. During the Forum, the victim(s) can help create a list of actions for the offender (a Plan), that aims to repair harm to the victim and the community, and reduce the offender’s likelihood of re-offending.
- The offender with an opportunity to learn about the impact their behaviour had on the victim(s) and other people. To be eligible for Forum Sentencing, the offender must be facing a prison sentence. The offender’s suitability is also carefully assessed—if it is considered the offender may not be respectful to the victim(s), a Forum will not be held.
Forum Sentencing - Facing up to Crime ( PDF 190KB)
Magistrates Early Referral Into Treatment (MERIT)
MERIT is a Local Court based diversion program that targets adult defendants with illicit drug use problems who are motivated to undertake drug treatment. Defendants assessed as suitable for MERIT can undertake supervised drug treatment as part of their bail conditions.
The primary goal of the MERIT program is to break the drug-crime cycle by involving defendants in treatment and rehabilitation programs.
MERIT Factsheet (PDF 112KB)
Go to the MERIT website>>
Rural Alcohol Diversion (RAD) pilot program
Rural Alcohol Diversion (RAD) provides adult defendents with alcohol abuse or dependence problems the opportunity of rehabilitation as part of the bail process. RAD is based on the operating model of the successful Magistrates Early Referral Into Treatment (MERIT) program, which diverts adult defendants, eligible for bail, into treatment for their illicit drug use.
Defendants are closely case-managed throughout the program and the magistrate receives regular reports from the RAD Caseworker on the participant. The final hearing and sentence generally coincide with the completion of the treatment program. Magistrates are then able to consider the defendant’s progress in treatment as part of final sentencing.
Tirkandi Inaburra Cultural and Development Centre
The Tirkandi Inaburra Cultural and Development Centre (Tirkandi Inaburra) is a residential centre offering Indigenous youth programs that strengthen cultural and personal identity and resilience. It represents a long cherished dream of the Indigenous people of the area.
The Centre is located on 780 hectares of land near Coleambally, Central Southern NSW, and held under trust by the Tirkandi Inaburra Cultural and Development Centre.
Tirkandi Inaburra: Factsheet (PDF 71Kb) and also Full-colour brochure (PDF 778Kb)
Traffic Offender Intervention Program
The Traffic Offender Intervention Program is a Local Court based program targeting offenders who have plead guilty to, or been found guilty of, a traffic offence.
The goal of the program is to provide offenders with the information and skills necessary to develop positive attitudes towards driving and develop safer driving behaviours.
On application by the defendant, the defendant’s legal representative, or the Court’s own motion, magistrates can make a referral to an approved traffic course provider. The magistrate then adjourns the matter for sentencing, allowing sufficient time for the nominated course to be completed.
The program is Regulated under the Criminal Procedure Act by the Criminal Procedure Amendment (Traffic Offender Intervention Program) Regulation 2007. In addition, the TOIPs Operating Guidelines provide information for course providers on how to apply to become an approved course provider under the Regulation.
The Crime Prevention Division is currently accepting applications for approval. Magistrates will commence making referrals to approved course providers from 28 March 2008.
Traffic Offender Intervention Program: Operating Guidelines (Word 125Kb) and also Criminal Procedure Amendment (Traffic Offender Intervention Program) Regulation 2007 (PDF 284Kb)
Youth Drug and Alcohol Court (YDAC)
The NSW Youth Drug and Alcohol Court (YDAC) aims to reduce re-offending by young people with alcohol and or drug problems who have become entrenched in the criminal justice system. It began operations in July 2000 and operates across most of the Sydney metropolitan region.
The YDAC aims to rehabilitate young offenders by addressing the broader health and welfare issues which have affected the young person's drug use and associated offending. The YDAC program is an multi-agency program, which brings together the juvenile criminal justice system with various government and non-government adolescent service providers.
Go to the YDAC website
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