Wednesday, 15 July 2020
The Law Society of Western Australia welcomes the announcement from the State Government today that the $6.2m Kimberley Juvenile Justice Strategy (KJJS) is now being rolled out across the Kimberley following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
The $6.2 million allocation for the KJJS includes funding for the continuation of safe-place grants, night patrols, Aboriginal Legal Service WA support for young people in the justice system and an educational industry skills program across Kimberley towns such as Broome, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek, Kununurra and Wyndham.
The Law Society of Western Australia supports justice reinvestment and published a Briefing Paper on this topic in July 2019. The Briefing Paper notes the Law Society’s support for community-led and indigenous-led diversionary and early intervention programmes and initiatives to reduce recidivism as well as additional funding to support the diversionary approach.
The Senior Vice President of the Law Society, Jocelyne Boujos said, “With youth incarceration rates not improving, especially in Aboriginal communities, a new approach was needed to shift the focus from punishment to prevention. Justice reinvestment directs resources and attention to communities that are disproportionately represented in our prison system and also addresses exacerbating factors that may be either systemic or based in policy. There is still much work to be done, but this next phase of funding demonstrates an ongoing commitment from the general community to continue to implement the important justice reinvestment initiatives.”
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For comment please contact:
Madeleine McErlain
Marketing and Communications Manager
(08) 9324 8650
mmcerlain@lawsocietywa.asn.au
The Law Society of Western Australia is the peak professional association for lawyers in the State. The Society is a not-for-profit association dedicated to the representation of its more than 4,000 members. The Society enhances the legal profession through its position as a respected leader and contributor on law reform, access to justice and the rule of law. The Society is widely acknowledged by the legal profession, government and the community as the voice of the legal profession in Western Australia.
