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WA floats alternatives to jail
The Law Society of Western Australia has welcomed statements from notable state figures for the reduction of incarceration levels in the state.
Grace Ormsby
Source: lawsocietywa.asn.au
It comes after the Attorney-General, the Honourable John Quigley, and Commissioner of Police Chris Dawson publicised statements on such alternatives, following an incident whereby a pregnant Aboriginal woman was arrested after illness prevented her from attending a court hearing where she was to give evidence about a former partner.
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According to the Law Society’s statement, the commissioner of police was recently quoted as saying that the “vast volume” of Aboriginal children charged with criminal offences in Western Australia could have those offences addressed under community justice arrangements, as an alternative to incarceration.
The Law Society also flagged its understanding of the Attorney-General having called upon the commissioner for victims of crime to develop new guidelines in conjunction with WA Police to ensure no victim of crime who is acting as a witness is jailed for missing a court appearance.
Law Society president Greg McIntyre SC highlighted that “according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Western Australia has the second highest imprisonment rate of any state in Australia, with 344 persons per 100,000 adult population”.
He noted that the state “also has the dubious distinction of having the highest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rate (4,203 persons per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population)”.
“It is clear from these statistics that the current approaches in our justice system are not working,” he admitted.
Commenting that the Law Society instead advocates a justice reinvestment approach, and the building of communities rather than prisons, Mr McIntyre said “the Law Society supports any initiatives by the state government and WA Police that will actively involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities”.
He also advocated for an investment in holistic early intervention, prevention and diversion strategies to militate against involvement with the criminal justice system.
“The Law Society will continue to work closely with stakeholders including the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Police to advance practical, evidence-based solutions to drive sustainable change, prevent deaths in custody and make incarceration a last resort,” Mr McIntyre said.
