Safer Communities
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO SUPPORT PEOPLE TO MAKE SAFER CHOICES
The Greens want to reduce crime and ensure everyone can live safely in our community. We also want to ensure everyone has equal opportunities in life, no matter your background, ability, gender, sexuality, income or postcode.
But our system is flawed. People who engage in harmful behaviours, such as crime, typically only get support once they’re in the justice system. It is a response to the outcome of the harmful behaviour rather than the underlying causes.
It makes our community less safe- people continue to cycle in and out of the justice system, crime continues and the whole community is disadvantaged.
The Greens support a “smart on crime” approach- one that will break the cycles of crime and reoffending, for the benefit of the whole community. It is important to respond to crimes as they occur, through police, courts, victim support, and- where necessary incarceration, but we need to go further and faster to transform the justice system.
We will invest in people to address the social determinants that lead to harmful behaviours, provide support sooner, and ultimately support our whole community.
THE ACT GREENS WILL:
- Establish a Breaking the Cycle Fund to reduce recidivism through bail support, Throughcare and employment programs; expand the Justice Housing Program; support Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations; and better resource Prisoners Aid and SHINE for Kids
- Reduce overrepresentation of First Nations people by implementing the Jumbunna Institute’s recommendations and explore a cross-border justice scheme with NSW
- Expand the Drug and Alcohol Court
- Expand the Restorative Justice Scheme
- Deliver therapeutic support and divert young people away from the justice system by raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 by 1 July 2025
- Legislate to prohibit the use of spit hoods in the ACT
- Provide long term funding certainty to community legal services
- Provide free legal assistance to more Canberrans
- Provide more funding for victim support as part of the Electronic Monitoring rollout
- Provide funding certainty for the Law Reform and Sentencing Advisory Council
- Embed driving programs in schools and develop more early intervention programs
- Decriminalise and deregulate sex work
- Support remedies for people when their human rights have been breached