Introduction by Croakey: A recent symposium in the Northern Territory provided an opportunity for profiling community-led solutions in reducing crime.
The discussions – reported below by Oli Dubsky from Flinders University – stand in stark contrast to the ‘tough on crime’ agenda of the new NT Government, which has been widely criticised by health experts as ineffective and harmful.
Oli Dubsky writes:
The Northern Territory town of Katherine recently hosted a landmark meeting of community members, researchers, and experts in law, justice, health, education, and social services, who came together to explore community-led solutions in reducing crime.
Importantly, the symposium on Justice Reinvestment sought to put the spotlight on addressing the root causes of crime, such as poverty, unemployment, and homelessness.
Katherine has a population of about 10,000 and is located where the traditional lands of the Dagoman, Jawoyn and Wardaman meet.
The Katherine Justice Reinvestment group was formed in 2022, building on the work of an initial group set up in 2015, to transform the town’s approach to justice, focusing on community-led solutions that aim to create a safer and more connected future.
Earlier this year, the group was one of 19 community-led justice reinvestment initiatives to be funded across First Nations communities as part of a $79 million commitment by the Australian Government.
Local solutions
The ‘Katherine Justice Reinvestment: Have Your Say’ two-day symposium took place at the Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts and Culture Centre on 19 and 20 September.
“Justice reinvestment empowers First Nations communities to create local solutions that divert at-risk individuals from the criminal justice system,” said Professor James Smith, Deputy Dean of Rural and Remote Health NT at Flinders University and one of the symposium organisers.
A standout moment of the symposium was the keynote address, ‘Learning about JR across the NT – The Groote Island Story’, delivered by the Anindilyakwa Land Council team.
Groote Eylandt, the first community in the NT to receive funding for Justice Reinvestment, has introduced programs like youth mentoring and practical support, including cooking, fitness, and driving lessons, to help disconnected young people.
The integration of culturally accepted peacekeepers, who are community members trained to de-escalate potential conflicts and called upon when situation requires, also proved successful.
These community-driven initiatives have sparked positive changes, showing the value of local decision-making in fostering behavioural transformation.
Professors Mark Halsey and Ian Goodwin-Smith, from Flinders University’s Centre for Social Impact, shared insights from their research, noting that Australia faces a serious reincarceration crisis.
“Almost half of the 67,000 people released from prisons every year in Australia return within two years – a statistic that has sadly remained unchanged for decades,” they said.
They emphasised the critical role of prison-to-community support in preventing this cycle.
Fresh approaches
Attendees took part in hands-on interactive workshops, such as ‘Strategies for Successfully Engaging Youth’ and ‘Understanding Intersections Between Justice and Health’.
These sessions provided practical strategies for engaging meaningfully with youth and highlighted the important connection between health and justice services in Katherine.
The event featured a broad spectrum of stakeholders including NT Government, NT Court, NT Children’s Commissioner, Katherine Council, NT Primary Health Network, NT Legal Aid, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, Katherine Women Legal Services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services, Wurli Wurlinjang Health Service, The Smith Family and local community members.
Bandjin woman and Katherine resident Christine Butler expressed her excitement about the symposium’s outcomes.
“This symposium marks the beginning of a community-led approach, addressing the root causes of crime – poverty, unemployment, and homelessness – rather than focusing on incarceration,” she said.
Importantly, the symposium was a platform for Katherine residents to voice their concerns and help shape future programs that impact their community.
Long-term Katherine resident Stanley Law highlighted the need for fresh approaches.
“The current justice system isn’t working. To tackle these issues, we need community involvement and new strategies. This is a crucial step forward,” he said.
Foundations laid
In the post-event evaluation, two participant statements summed up the event, its atmosphere and sentiment.
“Never stop moving forward to ensure our children and families are safe, happy and healthy.”
“Keeping a positive mind, go forward, try and change the system to benefit a law for everyone.”
With nearly 100 attendees across the two days, the event has laid a foundation for exciting new directions in justice reinvestment in Katherine for the years to come.
The illustration below, by Samantha Campbell, can also be downloaded here. Key phrases include: “invest in people, not prisons”, “ask youth what they want”, “invest in our children”, and “strong and sustainable systems and processes”.
Initiative background
Justice Reinvestment focuses on addressing the underlying causes of crime – poverty, unemployment, and disengagement from education – rather than on incarceration. It is a community-led, strengths-based approach that has been shown to reduce incarceration rates and improve community outcomes by redirecting resources into local solutions.
Professor James Smith led the Katherine Youth Justice Reinvestment Project in 2018-19 through the Menzies School of Health Research, which identified early-stage strategies for implementing youth justice reinvestment in the area. The consortium behind the current initiative includes Savanna Solutions, Jesuit Social Services, and Flinders University.
Savanna Solutions is a well-established local Indigenous consultancy service and the lead organisation responsible for managing the contract and meeting guideline requirements.
Jesuit Social Services provides secretariat support to the Governance Group, and manages justice reinvestment staff to undertake community engagement and a circuit breaker ‘Point to Point’ initiative.
Flinders University provides capacity building, data collection and management, evaluation, and research expertise.
• Oli Dubsky is Marketing and Communications Officer, Rural and Remote Health NT, for Flinders University
See Croakey’s archive of articles on justice reinvestment