Mia Schlicht, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs, has today welcomed the Victorian opposition leader’s announcement of its $100 million Safer Communities Plan as a much-needed first step to fixing Victoria’s broken criminal justice system.
“Each year Victoria spends $553 million on the incarceration of non-violent offenders, money that could be invested in crime prevention. The Opposition’s plan to prevent youth from a life of crime and incarceration is a welcome first step in much needed reform,” said Ms Schlicht.
The SMARTSTART program which seeks to move youths away from incarceration, as well as implement residential rehabilitation and structured discipline pathways out of crime, imports key elements of criminal justice reform from the United States that has shown to be effective.
Previous IPA research found that the residential rehabilitation for youth, such as Rancho Cielo located in the United States, operates at about a quarter of the cost of a neighbouring youth detention centre and has reduced the reoffending rates from 40 per cent to 15 per cent.
“To be tough on crime we need to be smart on crime. The Victorian opposition has shown important leadership on this issue by delivering a policy which international experience shows can make the state safer,” Ms Schlicht said.
“Rehabilitation ranches have succeeded in removing troubled youth from their anti-social environments and placing them in programmes to equip them with employable skills so they can become self-sufficient and productive members of society.”
“Not only will this set them up for a better future, but the money saved can be reinvested into crime-prevention measures that keep our communities safe, such as putting more police on the streets,” Ms Schlicht said.
Today, Victoria faces a crime epidemic with violent home invasions and attacks on our streets becoming an all-too-common occurrence. A key part of criminal justice reform is ensuring resources are available to protect the community from violent offenders.
“The state opposition’s Break Bail, Face Jail plan is a necessary step to correct Victoria’s botched bail law reforms. Currently allow too many repeat, violent offenders to roam free. It is victims who have paid the price for the government’s failure,” Ms Schlicht said.
“Prison is the most serious form of punishment a government can impose on offenders, and it should be reserved for the people that are a danger to the community. By enacting serious criminal justice reform, we can prevent crime from happening and house dangerous offenders for longer.”
To download the IPA’s research, Smart Justice, click here.
