Territory Stories

Letter to Hon. Gerry McCarthy MLA from Priscilla Collins Chief Executive Officer North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency NAAJA's response to the New Era in Corrections dated 23 February 2011

Details:

Title

Letter to Hon. Gerry McCarthy MLA from Priscilla Collins Chief Executive Officer North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency NAAJA's response to the New Era in Corrections dated 23 February 2011

Other title

Tabled paper 1429

Collection

Tabled Papers for 11th Assembly 2008 - 2012; Tabled Papers; ParliamentNT

Date

2011-08-09

Description

Tabled By Gerald McCarthy

Notes

Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory under Standing Order 240. Where copyright subsists with a third party it remains with the original owner and permission may be required to reuse the material.

Language

English

Subject

Tabled papers

File type

application/pdf

Use

Copyright

Copyright owner

See publication

License

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/281181

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/415143

Page content

the NILJF, which recommends that Government [ejnsure that procedural fairness exist across the criminal justice system. NAAJA advocates that the NT parole system be re-modelled similar to New South Wales (NSW) (see Part 6 of the Crimes (Administration of Sentences) 1999). The NSW system is both a fair and robust parole system which balances the right to procedural fairness, with considerations of community protection and offender rehabilitation. Community Justice Initiatives Recommendation 15: Justice Reinvestment principles should guide Government policy. NAAJA recommends that the New Era in Corrections embrace Justice Reinvestment as a guiding practice. This is in keeping with recommendation 3.2 of the NILJF: [r]ecognise and strengthen Indigenous community responses to justice issues to support community ownership of safety and crime prevention. Justice Reinvestment diverts a portion of the funds spent on imprisonment to local communities where there is a high concentration of offenders. The funds are invested in community initiated and operated programs that are aimed at addressing underlying causes of crime. Territory Towns Recommendation 16: All future Territory Towns should have appropriate justice services. Strategy 1.2.1 of the NILJF aims to: [pjrovide the services needed to realise sustainable improvements in community safety in urban, regional and remote settings. This Strategy is reinforced in Action 1.2.1b: [d]eliver necessary justice services in Indigenous communities. NAAJA considers the following to be essential justice services: A specific service to work with Elders towards empowering them to design local solutions to address community safety issues. An Aboriginal Interpreter Services office to increase effective cross cultural communication; Adequate facilities for legal services including accommodation and an office that can be used by defence lawyers and their clients attending bush courts, and when providing advice at legal clinics; A youth and adult specific drug and alcohol rehabilitation service; Mental Health Services; Supported Accommodation facilities for young people seeking supervised bail; Culturally specific mediation services; 12