Katherine
Justice
Reinvestment
Justice Reinvestment is a different way of working to address the causes of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the youth and adult justice system. Instead of locking people up and relying on incarceration as a way to minimise reoffending, the model aims to target drivers of crime such as poverty, unemployment and homelessness, to shift peoples interactions away from the justice system.
Katherine Justice Reinvestment Consortium
The Justice Reinvestment grant is being delivered by a consortium of three organisations, Savanna Solutions, Jesuit Social Services and Flinders University. The Consortium is a neutral body that will support the delivery of the project on behalf of the community and brings complimentary strengths and shared aspirations. The role of the Consortium is:
SAVANNA SOLUTIONS
The auspicing body receiving the grant and distributing funding as agreed by the ‘K Town Justice Group’ in the application. Their role is administration, reporting and acquittal as per the funding agreement. Savanna Solutions will also deliver one of two circuit breaker initiatives, a training and employment mentoring initiative to help fill gaps in pathways, build confidence and support school leavers who may no support structures when leaving the education system.
JESUIT SOCIAL SERVICES
Will employ the Katherine Justice Reinvestment team responsible for leading, promoting and documenting the project well as coordinating the community Governance Group established as part proposal. This team will be known as the ‘go to’ people for Justice Reinvestment in Katherine. Jesuit Social Services will also deliver the second circuit breaker initiative, a mirco program designed by people in Katherine as a response to coordination and gaps in service delivery. A Client Services Officer will deliver this with support
from the Justice Reinvestment team.
FLINDERS UNIVERSITY
Has three roles to fulfil including data collection and establishment of the Monitoring and Evaluation framework for the overall project. They will also deliver a Territory wide Justice Reinvestment Symposium in 2024 and employ an ‘Indigenous Knowledges and Culture Lecturer’ to strengthen cultural safety amongstorganisation involved in Justice Reinvestment.
Justice Reinvestment aims to invest in prevention and early intervention to save money on the tertiary end through systemic change, policy reform, service delivery and data led solutions. It is a community led, strengths-based approach that shifts decision making and power to Aboriginal communities so they can determine ways to improve justice outcomes in their community.
Community Governance Group
Aboriginal Leadership Group (ALG): will be appointed through an EOI and meet quarterly to set and endorse the overall strategic direction of Justice Reinvestment. It will be comprised of Aboriginal leaders with long term connections to Katherine to ensure cultural authority, comparative to traditional ownership. This recognises cultural authority rests with individuals who may not have capacity to be involved in day-to-day activities.
Justice Reinvestment Action Group: appointed through an EOI process and meet frequently to develop and implement a Justice Reinvestment Plan. The Action Group will be responsible for assessing proposals for service responses, reviewing data and feedback from community and stakeholders, making decisions in line with ALG direction and setting up a sustainable model of Justice Reinvestment for Katherine.
Stakeholder and Expert Advisory Groups: will meet regularly, comprising of young people, ACCOs, NGOs and government to share data and area expertise wishing to align with the work of Justice Reinvestment. These Groups will encourage engagement in the Justice Reinvestment Plan, foster collaboration and formalise stakeholder involvement in the project.
What will the Consortium do?
Support the community governance roles to engage the community through governance support, community engagement and evidencebased data collection to guide decision making.
Collaborate with the Governance Group to develop, implement and refine a local Justice Reinvestment Plan.
Build and strengthen connections with local community members and stakeholders who are committed to addressing the causes of crime
Support and develop strategies led by the community to reduce people’s contact with the justice system.