New Funding and Changes to VIC Community Correctional Services

Tuesday 17 January 2017 @ 10.46 a.m. | Crime | Legal Research

On 16 January 2017, the Minister for Corrections, Gayle Tierney, released a public media statement regarding changes to the Community Correctional Services in Victoria. With a target to reduce reoffending by prisoners, the new reforms will see offenders subjected to more intensive case management, and having access to more targeted rehabilitation and support services.

Background to the Changes

According to the Media Release, the changes are part of the Labor Government’s record $233.3 million investment in Community Correctional Services, announced in the Victorian Budget 2016-17 and the Government is also providing a $10 million boost to treatment and rehabilitation services, including a new drug and alcohol program, and additional offending behaviour programs.

Specialist staff have been recruited and trained to manage different categories of offenders based on the offender’s risks and needs to help them break the cycle of reoffending.

A dedicated Court Assessment and Prosecutions Service will provide specialist advice to the courts on order conditions and prosecute offenders who breach their orders.

What are Community Correction Orders?

According to the Sentencing Advisory Council (VIC), Community Correction Orders (CCO's) are a flexible sentencing order served in the community. The order can be imposed by itself or in addition to imprisonment or a fine.

Offenders sentenced to a CCO must abide by standard (core) terms, such as:

  • not reoffending;
  • not leaving Victoria without permission;
  • reporting to a community corrections centre; and
  • complying with written directions from the Secretary of the Department of Justice.

Each CCO must also attach one additional condition. Additional conditions may be attached to a CCO for all or part of its duration and can require the offender to:

  • undertake medical treatment or other rehabilitation;
  • not enter, remain within, or consume alcohol in licensed premises (such as a hotel, club, or restaurant);
  • complete unpaid community work up to a total of 600 hours;
  • be supervised, monitored, and managed by a corrections worker;
  • abstain from contact or association with particular people (for example, co-offenders);
  • live (or not live) at a specified address;
  • stay away from nominated places or areas;
  • abide by a curfew, remaining at a specified place for between two and 12 hours each day;
  • be monitored and reviewed by the court to ensure compliance with the order; or
  • pay a bond – a sum of money that may be given up wholly or partly if the offender fails to comply with any condition imposed.

An offender who breaches a condition of a CCO may be resentenced for the original offence and may face up to three months additional imprisonment for the breach.

According to The Age, "consistently, one third of offenders fail to complete their CCOs, with many returning to prison."

Reaction to the Changes

Minister for Corrections Gayle Tierney said:

"We are ensuring our Community Corrections staff have manageable caseloads and the resources necessary to monitor and rehabilitate offenders – keeping our community safe.”

Jenny Hosking, the assistant director of Community Correctional Services stated in The Age that "this would allow staff to work creatively with offenders to help them complete their programs."

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