Initiative

Latest Episodes:

Te Pae Oranga: a restorative justice approach to reducing reoffending in New Zealand Mar 09, 2020

In this episode, we speak with Deputy Commissioner of New Zealand Police Wallace Haumaha about a marae-based restorative justice alternative that addresses the underlying causes of low-level offending behaviour: Te Pae Oranga.
Te Pae Oranga is an initiative covering Iwi and community justice panels. The initiative fits within the Iwi and community partnerships workstream of NZ Police’s current work program entitled ‘The Safest Country – Policing 2021’. Iwi and community justice panels provide an alternative justice outcome for people who commit low-level offences where it is not in the public interest to prosecute. The panels operate in the pre-charge space, where those involved work together to address the harm caused, develop a plan that addresses factors related to the offending, and helps get the offender’s life on a more positive path.
Independent evaluations have found that the initiative has delivered significant cost benefits and either reduced reoffending or reduced the harm caused from reoffending.
Visit indigenousjustice.gov.au to find more information about Te Pae Oranga.

Indigenous Youth Throughcare: from Corrections to Community Feb 17, 2020

Hear from the National Aboriginal Australian Agency and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency about the best-practice model developed for Indigenous Youth Throughcare and its implementation in the Northern Territory.
Throughcare provides intensive case management that supports a person's rehabilitation with the aim of reducing reoffending.
In recognition of disproportionately high rates of Indigenous young people in the juvenile justice system, the National Indigenous Australian Agency has enhanced the model of throughcare services (e.g. intensive case management) delivered to this cohort, in order to create a sustainable exit from the justice system.
The best-practice model - co-designed with service providers, Indigenous stakeholders, and Indigenous young people - recognises the complexity of young people's offending, history of trauma, and the short time-frames young people are typically detained.
For more information about throughcare, visit indigenousjustice.gov.au

Painting a brighter future: The Torch's Statewide Indigenous Arts in Prison and Community Program Feb 03, 2020

In this episode, we speak with Kent Morris (The Torch CEO, Barkindji) and Chris Austin (Artist, Gunditjmara Keerraaywoorrong) about an initiative using art to rehabilitate Indigenous offenders in Victoria.
The Torch has been delivering the Statewide Indigenous Arts in Prisons and Community Program (SIAPC) since 2011. The Program is set within the context of the Victorian Aboriginal Justice Agreement, and its focus is on the role of culture and cultural identity in the rehabilitative process of Indigenous prisoners. The Torch provides support to Indigenous offenders and ex-offenders in Victoria through art, cultural, and arts vocational programs.
The Torch aims to reduce the rate of reoffending by encouraging participants to explore identity and culture through art, develop confidence, and define new pathways for themselves upon release from prison.
To download the independent evaluation of The Torch produced by EMS Consultants visit indigenousjustice.gov.auYou can support The Torch by purchasing an artwork, making a donation, or attending an exhibition. Visit thetorch.org.au for more information.