· support Koori women to navigate the complex
drug and alcohol support and disability support,
as required.
research, the Commission considers that the most
sustainable and comprehensive way to reduce the
over-representation of Koori women in prison is to
establish a "hub and spoke" model of diversion,
where women can step up and step down
supports they need at any particular time, without
losing continuity.
centred methodology, would act as the "hub".
It could be used by women on bail, Community
Corrections Orders and post-release. It would be
closely linked to a range of "spokes", including drug
and alcohol treatment services, further post-release
residential options, as well as case management,
trauma, family support and other services.
that causes so many difficulties for Koori women.
It would deliver joined-up services, across all the
diversionary domains, in a culturally appropriate way.
between the hub and other agencies, including
Victoria Police, Corrections Victoria and the courts,
in order to tackle some of the systemic barriers
that Koori women encounter with mainstream
services and programs.
continuity and certainty to one of the most
vulnerable groups in our community as they address
the causes and consequences of their offending.
effective method of integrating services for Koori
women and offers the best prospects for success
as it has culture at its heart.
meantime, there are practical things that can and
should be done, particularly at the front end of the
justice system. This includes extending CISP to more
courts and building in a Koori CISP, recalibrating
the CJDP so that Koori women are better placed to
participate, enhancing the Local Justice Worker and
Koori Offender Support and Mentoring Program,
and keeping women out of remand by getting
the ground, including residential drug and alcohol
services. In other words, working on the spokes
while the hub comes together.
and diversion
comes at an enormous social and economic cost:
to the women involved, to their children, to their
communities and to the Victorian public.
going through the prison system can be in the
order of $1 million.
the costs involved when children are placed in
out-of-home care. Some may then go on to have
contact with the juvenile justice system, placing
additional costs on the system.
unless action is taken now, the number of Koori
women at risk of entering prison is likely to grow
markedly in the coming years.
future. It also undermines Victoria's efforts to
promote and strengthen community safety.
offending such as drug and alcohol abuse,
mental health, disability, family violence and
intergenerational trauma cost significantly less
than what is required to keep a person in prison.
Targeted post-release interventions to break
the cycle of offending, including housing and
casework support, are much cheaper than prison.
For example, the Restart Program in Victoria has a
daily unit cost of $70 per participant, compared to
$338 per person per day in prison.
Based on NSW modelling, the institutional costs
of a female Aboriginal offender with a history of
homelessness, drug and alcohol misuse, family
violence and mental illness is $1,118,126. Eileen Baldry
et al, Lifecourse Institutional Costs of Homelessness for
Vulnerable Groups (Australian Government, Department
of Families, Housing, Community Services and
Indigenous Affairs, 2012) 49-53.
Under the Restart Program, support commences
three months prior to release. With a total case load
of 50 women, the program offers long-term, safe and
stable housing, with the option of permanent tenancy,
guaranteed job and training pathway, a post-release
package of wrap-around support, and daily interaction
in the initial three to four weeks following release.