A critical analysis of justice reinvestment in the United States and Australia

Austin, James, and Coventry, Garry (2014) A critical analysis of justice reinvestment in the United States and Australia. Victims & Offenders, 9 (1). pp. 126-148.

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Abstract

The U.S. and Australia are in different phases with regard to justice re-investment (JRI) strategies and implementation efforts. The results from the U.S. appear equivocal and disappointing with regard to reducing the numbers of the incarcerated population. With no significant decline in prison numbers there are no savings in prison budgets to invest funds in targeted communities, from which many prisoners are drawn. Australia should not be directed by the JRI experience of the U.S. The primary problem for Australia is not so much its incarceration numbers. Compared to the U.S., the prison as a punishment appears to be a more of a sentence of last resort. The key problem for JRI advocates, however, is that Indigenous Australians are grossly over-represented in prison populations and disadvantage in communities from where they reside requires national attention. Both countries require a clear conceptualization of JRI. Without a critical rethink, JRI might have a legacy as yet another "reform" that has failed to reduce mass incarceration.

Item ID: 38823
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1556-4886
Date Deposited: 11 May 2015 03:00
FoR Codes: 16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1602 Criminology > 160202 Correctional Theory, Offender Treatment and Rehabilitation @ 20%
16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1699 Other Studies in Human Society > 169902 Studies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Society @ 50%
18 LAW AND LEGAL STUDIES > 1801 Law > 180119 Law and Society @ 30%
SEO Codes: 94 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 9401 Community Service (excl. Work) > 940102 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Development and Welfare @ 50%
94 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 9402 Government and Politics > 940204 Public Services Policy Advice and Analysis @ 20%
94 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 9404 Justice and the Law > 940403 Criminal Justice @ 30%
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