Coalition of Voices Media Release, 18 July 2024

A coalition of NT community leaders and frontline services have called for all sides of politics to sign on to a detailed set of policy measures that address community safety and combat the cycle of prison and reoffending.

The broad-reaching coalition includes Aboriginal-led peak bodies and organisations, the social services sector, legal bodies, advocacy groups and frontline service providers.

In a joint open letter to all sides of NT politics, the coalition outlined detailed steps to build effective, enduring community safety that breaks the cycle of crime, reoffending and curfews.

The letter says “over-incarceration in the Northern Territory causes significant harm to children, families and the whole community. It is also extremely expensive. Our current over reliance on prison fails to improve a sense of community safety and further entrenches disadvantage.”

“The ongoing use of over incarceration means we lose focus on investing in the evidence-based supports, rehabilitation and healing which are vital for a healthy and thriving community.”

The letter outlines three areas of focus to make a significant difference in the lives of Territorians.

1. Commit to fully implementing the Aboriginal Justice Agreement

• Reduce imprisonment of Aboriginal Territorians. We are encouraged to see progress towards Community Courts being re-established and the Women’s Alternative to Custody facility in Alice Springs. However significantly more work needs to be undertaken in the domestic, family and sexual violence space to ensure further progress on this aim.
• Engage and support Aboriginal leadership. Establish mechanisms that embed genuine consultation and partnerships and Aboriginal voice and leadership at all levels of government decision-making.
• Improve justice responses and services for Aboriginal Territorians. Significant work needs to be undertaken in relation to identifying and eliminating systemic racism across government agencies.

1. Reduce the number of young people in contact with out of home care, police and custody

• Address the social drivers of crime and antisocial behaviour, such as poverty, health, housing, education and domestic, family and sexual violence.
• Implement raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14.
• Fully implement the Generational Strategy: Kids Safe, Family Together, Community Strong: 10- Year Generational Strategy for Children and Families in the Northern Territory.
• Establish a Youth Peak Body for the Northern Territory.
• Provide needs-based funding for prevention and crime reduction programs.
• Encourage strengthening of family supports and parental responsibility.
• Implement education strategy that genuinely engages with Aboriginal leadership.

1. Programs not Prisons: Invest in community led safety approaches outside of the justice system

• There is a need for a multidisciplinary approach that funds community led programs across the trajectory of interactions with the justice system from prevention through to post release support.
• There is the need for proportionate funding for a diverse suite of community-led organisations and groups to deliver programs and support that are based on best-practice evidence-based principles in service delivery. This includes the provision of person-centred, long-term, relational, flexible, holistic, intensive, and outreach focused casework.
• Consult with local organisations to determine and meet resourcing needs required to build organisational capacity and effectiveness.

Quotes from Coalition members and signatories:

APO NT spokesperson John Paterson said it was time for a “smarter approach that moves away from the old prison-first model that has been proven to fail. We must listen to local people about what works in their communities to reduce crime, get peoples’ lives back on track and make our communities safer.”

A spokesperson for NAAJA said “the over-incarceration of all people, but especially Aboriginal people, in the Territory causes significant harm to children, families and the whole community. Prison first justice hasn’t made our community safer it has done the opposite. It is time to scale the models of community-led reform that work. That includes more community courts and programs that divert people from the cycle of crime and prison.”

Justice Reform Initiative spokesperson Rocket Bretherton said "an over-reliance on jail has failed to address the problems in our community. More prisons have only created more crime by placing people in a revolving door prison system. To break that cycle, we need to shift resources from prisons to community-based programs.”

NTCOSS CEO Sally Sievers said "if a prison-first approach worked, the Territory would be the safest place in the world. We need to stop expecting prison alone will fix the issues in our communities and recognise what is causing crime in the first place. Addressing crime requires us to invest in housing, mental health, domestic violence, alcohol and other drug services and to listen to local communities about what will work for them.”

Ambassador for the Smarter Justice for Safer Communities campaign Leeanne Caton said “there are many examples of community led solutions that have worked to make communities safer. Enforced post-release programs for life skills, training, and job support, diversion programs – these approaches cut reoffending and are proven to reduce future contact with the criminal justice system. We’ve seen community-led models reduce crime by up to 95% in some parts of the Territory and we must follow those examples of success.”

Jesuit Social Services spokesperson John Adams said all the evidence shows we should be aiming to keep young people away from detention. “Children who have contact with detention at a young age are more likely to have further contact with the justice system into adulthood.”

Human Rights Legal Centre spokesperson Nick Espie said there was almost unanimous support from organisations that deal with crime and justice on the ground for a better approach. “This policy framework has support from all corners of the community that work every day to reduce offending, get people’s lives back on track and make our community safer.”

Media contact: Tim O’Halloran 0409 059 617