Just Reinvest NSW is calling on the NSW Government to create a brighter future for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children by adopting a justice reinvestment approach, on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day today. Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and a champion of justice reinvestment says this approach is good news all round. “Through a justice reinvestment approach, funding is diverted away from imprisonment into early intervention, prevention and diversionary programs in communities where there are high rates of offending,” said Mr Gooda. “Savings are then tracked and reinvested into those communities to the benefit of everyone, including children,” he said. Sarah Hopkins, Chair of Just Reinvest NSW says Aboriginal young people make up just 2.2% of the NSW population but over 50% of the detention population. “It’s really really shocking. Aboriginal young people are 28 times more likely to be placed in juvenile detention that non-Aboriginal young people at a cost almost $238,000 per young person per year,” said Ms Hopkins. “The reasons why kids end up in detention are complex and varied,” said Mr Gooda. “That’s why we need to support communities to develop tailored solutions that address the […]
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