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View this email in your browser                                                                                                       Issue #9 

Hey guys!

I’m Lex from the Centre for Innovative Justice, keeping you up to date with justice and law related news. I hope you are enjoying the start to your semester!

With the number of coronavirus cases on the rise in Victoria, a lot has occurred since my last newsletter at the end of semester 1. It begun with the unprecedented lockdown of the North Melbourne and Flemington public housing towers in July and followed with stage 4 restrictions being imposed across Metropolitan Melbourne, affecting the way we work, study and interact. The restrictions have also seen the introduction of a curfew and hefty fines as part of the law and enforcement approach adopted to manage community transmission of the coronavirus in Victoria. For some, this will have a greater impact, than others.

However, there is a silver lining emerging from the pandemic. The program housing homeless Victorians in hotels during the pandemic has been extended until April 2021 and Victoria’s prison population is at a two-year low with increased approval of bail applications arresting a 20-year trend of increasing prison numbers. 

In the coming weeks we will be exploring the further impacts on the justice system arising from the response to the pandemic as well as other legal news and current affairs. 

Until next time!

 
 
In the news this week

MORE COVID-19 FINES FOR VICTORIA'S MOST DISADVANTAGED AREAS
ARTICLE by Adam Cooper (The Age)

"Victoria's three poorest communities have copped 10 per cent of its COVID-19 fines, while its three most advantaged local government areas were dealt less than two per cent of infringements in the same period."



REWARDING COVID COMPLIANCE MIGHT WORK BETTER THAN PUNISHMENTOPINION by Greg Barns (The Age)

"When it comes to compliance with the law, the vast majority of individuals get the message and will comply, either for moral reasons or out of fear of the consequences. There is no need to deter those individuals with increases in penalties, or threats of detention. It is those at the margins who are the target of what is called general deterrence through the form of "get tough" rhetoric."


CORONAVIRUS TRIGGERS DROP IN PRISON NUMBERS AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO REINVENT THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, LAWYERS SAY
ARTICLE By Hayley Gleeson

"Lawyers and advocates say the figures should spark a close examination of punitive policing practices, restrictive bail laws and funding for community support services, all of which have been blamed for a surge in prisoner numbers in recent years."                                                           

CREDIT: ABC News, Alkira Reinfrank

Online Taster Placement

Neighbourhood Justice Centre
Monday 17 August, 3pm - 4.30pm
Register here to attend

The Neighbourhood Justice Centre (NJC) is Australia’s only community justice centre. Using a therapeutic jurisprudence model, the NJC is committed to resolving disputes by addressing the underlying causes of harmful behaviour and tackling social disadvantage. Taking this approach, the NJC has been been effective in reducing crime, increasing community safety and creating savings by reducing the number of cases in the system.

Join us for an online taster placement and hear from Fitzroy Legal Service and Victoria Legal Aid community lawyers who will offer you an insight into their role and work at the NJC.

 
CIJ in the News

To achieve racial justice, we must self-determine meaningfully

Jarrod Hughes is a Taungurung man of the Kulin Nation and is a Senior Advisor at the Centre for Innovative Justice at RMIT University. Jarrod writes:

"While recent reports have gathered dust (a 2018 ALRC report on Indigenous incarceration is yet to be acknowledged by government) and new Closing the Gap justice targets have been criticised for lacking ambition, the promotion of self-determination in justice has the potential to create real change."   Read his article here.

Check this out!
 
CREDIT: ILLUSTRATOR, SAMUEL LUKE 
What it's like as a woman locked up in a men's prison
ABC's Background Briefing tells the story of Mara Ellis who was in prison for more than four months. She was placed in isolation, away from the rest of the prison population. Sometimes she was locked up for 23 hours a day. Why? Because she’s transgender. This is her story.

Or y
ou can listen to the podcast here.
INTERVIEW with Victoria Legal Aid's CEO
Centre for Innovative Justice Director Rob Hulls talks to the CEO of Victoria Legal Aid Louise Glanville about her career, multidisciplinary practice, and why Legal Aid is a fundamental part of our justice system.
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