Unfinished business: Koori women and the justice system Page 14

10 Unfinished business: Koori women and the justice system

Corrections Victoria

12. Noting that there are currently only two

Koori independent prison visitors in Victoria,
that the Office of Correctional Services
Review undertake a review of this program,
including eligibility criteria so that more Koori
community members may participate.

13. Noting that Koori women are refused

bail due to a chronic lack of appropriate
accommodation, that in the short term,
Corrections Victoria extend its existing
transitional (bail) house program by leasing
additional Koori women's houses. At least
one of these new transitional houses should
be located in metropolitan Melbourne. Over
time these houses should be replaced by the
Women's Place as recommended above.

14. Noting the low numbers of Koori women in

Tarrengower prison that Corrections Victoria,
in consultation with the Aboriginal Justice
Forum:

a. establish a sustainable model for

delivering Koori-specific programming
and supports across Tarrengower and
Dame Phyllis Frost Centres in order to
address the isolation reported by Koori
women when transferred to Tarrengower

b. promote earlier access from Dame

Phyllis Frost Centre to Tarrengower, by
enhancing the cultural appropriateness
of security assessment and classification
tools, as set out in the Sentence
Management Manual (AC3).

15. Noting the complexity of navigating services,

that Corrections Victoria publish, in a range
of formats, a list of programs available to
Koori women on Community Corrections
Orders, custodial sentences and remand.
This information should be updated regularly,
tabled at the Aboriginal Justice Forum
and distributed to female Koori prisoners,
Community Corrections clients, Corrections
staff, including those in regional offices,
Magistrates, Regional Aboriginal Justice
Advisory Committees and Chief Executive
Officers, legal services, community
organisations and advocates.

16. Noting barriers to Koori women participating in

mainstream programs, that Corrections Victoria
establish Koori-specific programming at the
Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, including culturally
appropriate parenting support programs,
cultural connection, trauma and victimisation
interventions delivered by Koori practitioners,
and that uptake of these programs be regularly
reported to the Aboriginal Justice Forum.

17. Noting the high rates of trauma and

victimisation among Koori women prisoners,
and the need for dedicated healing
programs in prison, that programs such as
the Marumali Cultural Healing program be
delivered on a regular basis.

18. That current restrictions on women who

have accessed programs during previous
sentences be removed.

19. That the prohibition on Koori remandees

accessing transitional programs including
Konnect and the Women's Integrated
Support Program be removed.

Justice health

20. That the response to the Koori Prisoner

Mental Health and Cognitive Function Study
include a specific focus on women.

21. That access to crimonogenic alcohol and drug

programs be extended to Koori women on
remand where substance misuse is identified
as a contributing factor to the alleged offence.
Participation in such a program should not infer
guilt. Access to these programs should also be
improved for Koori women on short sentences.

22. That working in partnership with the Victorian

Aboriginal Controlled Health Organisations
that Justice Health further meets its
obligations regarding culturally appropriate
health programs and build a Koori health
workforce. This includes:

a. ensuring contracts with heath providers

contain requirements to recruit, train and
deploy prison health workers who are Koori

b. contracting Koori organisations to provide

inreach services and to participate in
transition planning to ensued continuity of
health care.